


Guide to Fake Dating: Best Friend Edition

by cup_of_comfort



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Accidental Kissing, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Eventual Happy Ending, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Misunderstandings, a whole lot of it, everybody ships promptis, scheming luna, troll dad regis
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-20
Updated: 2018-02-12
Packaged: 2019-02-17 12:41:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 22,607
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13077093
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cup_of_comfort/pseuds/cup_of_comfort
Summary: Being best friends with Noctis is not easy, but how about pretend-boyfriends?An accidental public announcement suddenly turns Prompto into the Crown Prince of Lucis’s boyfriend. Now they have to keep the charade going for two months, but how will Prompto’s feelings change during the time span? Especially when the people around Noctis start acting weird... And Noctis being so sweet and caring...(or, alternative title: i swear to astrals if it’s not because you’re my best friend i wouldn’t want to be the prince’s fake boyfriend)





	1. 00 - preface

**Author's Note:**

> a [kinkmeme fill deanon](http://ffxv-kinkmeme.dreamwidth.org/4113.html?thread=6307857#cmt6307857), remastered! it’s a bit different from the one posted there, since i'm not satisfied with how it turns out in the kinkmeme. so many stupid mistakes in the original draft... but most of the contents and plot are unchanged.
> 
> also, my friend and i joke about how the title sounds like a book written by ignis XD
> 
> comments always appreciated! ╰(・∇・╰)

[ _Announcer: “Good evening, listeners, and welcome back to the show! In preparations for the upcoming Festival of Light that will be held in two months, we’re having a very special guest today; it’s Prince Noctis himself!”_

_Noctis: “Good evening.”_

_A: “So! To start; will there be anything different in this year’s Festival of Light?”_

_N: “Not that I know of. Preparations are... er, going smoothly, in this stage. As always, there will be parades for three days, and a lot of delicacies from around Lucis will also be sold in stalls that can be found around Insomnia.”_

_A: “Will there be any special events since this year you’re also celebrating your eighteen birthday, Prince Noctis?”_

_N: “Uh... No, I don’t think so.”_

_A: “I see... I heard that several nobles have already made marriage proposals to you. The citizens of Lucis will be so delighted if you finally decide to marry.”_

_N: “...um, I’m only eighteen. Besides, we have greater problems to address right now, instead of thinking about marriage.”_

_A: “Right. But when you finally take the throne, you eventually will need a partner. Do you have anyone in your mind already, Prince Noctis?”_

_N: “No... No one. I am still concentrating on my last year of high school, there’s no time for romance.”_

_A: “So you haven’t had your heart set on anyone yet! Does this mean there are still opportunities open for the nobles’ proposals for you to consider?”_

_N: “I didn’t say—“_

_A: “We totally look forward for them to be brought as your partner in the Festival of Light!”_

_N: “I... think it’s impossible for me to accept any kinds of proposal. Not now.”_

_A: “Oh? Something you’d like to share with us, Prince?”_

_N: “Yeah! Uh, I mean... it’s impossible because I already have someone in mind. A partner for the Festival.”_

_A: “How surprising! So can you tell us their name? Or at least, which noble house are they from?”_

_N: “.....uh...”_

_A: “Aww, too bad, Prince Noctis seems to be a little bit flustered. So they are someone special! So who’s this lucky girl... or guy?”_

_N: “I-It’s Prompto Argen—“_ ]

The recording halted as Prompto tapped the screen to pause it. He then put his phone down on the table and stared at the three people currently sitting in front of him, with arms folded on his chest and his face sour. “So tell me how all of this happened,” he began.

Neither Gladio, Ignis, nor Noctis were brave enough to face Prompto properly. Noctis even had his head facing sideways, trying to feign ignorance. Honestly, he might not yell at them, but his tone and expression were enough to tell them that Prompto was very _upset_.

“...I must apologise, Prompto,” Ignis was the first one to speak up. “We have caused you so much trouble.”

“Trouble?” Prompto raised his tone slightly. “Ignis, did you realise that yesterday, Noct just announced in a live radio broadcast that I’m his _boyfriend_?”

“Partner,” Noctis corrected, but he went silent again when Prompto gave him a murderous glare.

“Noct, you’re my best friend and I like you, but are you seriously going to lie to me? I listened to the goddamn recording for _three times_ ,” Prompto raised his phone, “to make sure that my ears aren’t deceiving me!”

He tapped on his phone again, and the recording resumed.

[ _N: “—tum... My... friend...”_

_A: “A friend from school? Or a special someone?”_

_N: “Best friend. He’s my best friend...”_

_A: “Hmm...”_

_N: “A-And boyfriend!”_ ]

Noctis made a sound like a dying whale.

“This recording has reached a million views on MoogleTube in just two days,” Prompto fumed. “Now my social medias are swamped with requests and messages asking if it’s true that I’m attending the Festival as Noct’s boyfriend—partner—whatever!”

“Alright, fine. I admit, it’s totally my fault that I blurted out your name like that,” Noctis huffed. “But since I turned eighteen, people have been so _pushy_ to offer their sons and daughters for me to consider as a partner. You saw the invitations, Prom!” he wilted on his chair. “I just want to be left alone.”

“But why me?!”

“Honestly? Your name was the first thing that came to mind during that broadcast.”

Prompto buried his face on his palm. “There’s Ignis! Or even Gladio! It’s more believable if you say Gladio is your escort instead, since he’s practically following you almost everywhere already!”

“I panicked, okay?!” Noctis groaned. “And seriously, why do you suppose I would be thinking to ask Ignis or Gladio to be my partner for the Festival? Ignis acts like my mum, and Gladio’s just...” he looked at his future shield, furrowing his eyebrows, and then frowned. “...just... nah.”

“Hey!” Gladio protested.

“Didn't Gladio have a little sister—Iris? Why not her? She’s an Amicitia, too. From a noble house. Nothing can go wrong with that!”

Noctis stared in horror at Prompto like he just realised he had accidentally eaten a piece of carrot. “Prompto, she is _thirteen_. And if I had said her name during the broadcast, I wouldn’t even be here speaking with you; Gladio would have my corpse cut up and buried somewhere nobody could ever found!”

Gladio looked offended. “Okay, that’s it, I’m out of this mess. You three can go figure this out yourself,” he grumbled and stood up, ready to leave, but Ignis caught his wrist before he could walk away.

“Sit.”

“Nope, I’m outta here.”

“ _Sit_ , Gladio,” Ignis insisted.

With an annoyed huff, Gladio sat down on his chair again. “Fine, but if I hear Noct insult me one more time, I’m getting the hell out of here.”

Ignis nodded, before giving the Prince a warning glare. Noctis groaned.

“Alright, fine, no use fussing over it anymore since it’s happened anyway,” “Prompto sighed, leaning back on his seat. “At least tell me that you have a plan to sort me out of this mess.”

Ignis hesitated. “The plan is... simple, actually. You just have to pretend that you two are breaking up.”

“What, so we just have to... argue in school or something like that?” Prompto raised an eyebrow.

“If you still want to be friends with Noct, I suggest to break up nicely,” Ignis explained. “It would be weird if you two are having a bad break up and then showing up next day still sitting together nicely like nothing has happened.”

The blond groaned. “This is worse than I thought.”

“How about keeping this... charade until the Festival ends, though?” Gladio suddenly spoke up. Three pairs of eyes instantly stared at him like he had lost his mind. “Well, Noct did have some problems with the nobles’ invitations. Rejecting them without reasons will be really rude, but if they know that the Prince has already had a partner... boyfriend... whatever,” Gladio cleared his throat, “they will certainly leave you alone.”

Noctis’s eyes widened in realisation. “That’s right!” he jumped from his seat and was instantly in front of Prompto, grasping both of his best friend’s shoulders. “Just until the Festival! Help a friend out here, Prom. After that, we can pretend that we’re disagreeing on something and then break up, whatever—we can cross the bridge when we get there,” Noctis gave him his best puppy eyes he could manage. “ _Pleaseeeeee._ ” He added, as nicely as he could.

Prompto knew he had lost. “Alright, fine!” he gave in. Noctis almost smothered him in his hug, while Gladio and Ignis exchanged meaningful looks with each other. “Two months, just until the Festival of Light is over!”

“Then, I will prepare the apology letters for you, Noct,” Ignis nodded. “Come to the Citadel tomorrow to sign them with your name and stamp, and I’ll send them to the nobles that had sent you their proposals.”

Noctis nodded and fistpumped to the air. “Finally! Peace for two months.”

Prompto, on the other hand, silently lamented. What had he landed himself into?


	2. 01 - how to (not) attract the attentions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompto adjusts to his new status.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> merry (belated) christmas everyone! thank you for all your kudos and comments! i’m happy that you all enjoy this :D here’s a new update! i’m going to whittle this bit by bit as soon as i can. meanwhile, enjoy the new chapter!
> 
> comments always appreciated (*≧▽≦)

Prompto was used to attention.

Ever since he befriended Noctis at the beginning of high school, he was almost always subjected to indirect attention. Noctis was the Prince of Lucis, after all; it was hard _not_ to notice him, actually. Prompto was always just the ‘boy who’s always with Prince Noctis’, or ‘Prince Noctis’s friend’ (which was already a high acknowledgement itself, since he was just a... nobody). And he was fine with it.

But Prompto wasn’t used to be the _subject_ of attention.

He squirmend nervously on his seat. It was just the beginning of second period, but Prompto couldn’t concentrate when it felt like the whole class was _boring_ holes into the back of his head with their stares. Literally. This was the only time he hated that he picked the front seat just so that he could see the board better.

It was only Monday, _dammit_.

During lunch, Prompto tried to ignore the hushed whispers and took out his lunch box to go to Noctis’s neighbouring classroom to sit and eat together with his friend, but before he could stand from his seat several girls were already swarming around him, asking in cheerful voices and delighted giggles. “Ne, ne, Prompto. Are you really dating Prince Noctis?”

Prompto flushed. “Um... K-Kind of?” he answered vaguely, suddenly feeling very self-conscious being surrounded by so many people all of sudden. Other than Noctis, he really didn’t get along with his classmates; speaking with one of them was fine, but usually they had never bothered to talk to him at all unless for assignments, so it felt awkward to be approached by the classmates you only knew by name.

The girls cooed. “Since when?”

Prompto sputtered. _Six help me_ , he silently prayed. “Er, uh... Three... months ago?” He tilted his head, pretending to think hard. “I... honestly couldn’t remember, ahaha...” Did his laugh sound nervous? Prompto hoped not. “A-and Noct is not a person who really celebrates, er, anniversaries, so we don’t keep tabs...”

“Then, then,” another girl asked eagerly, her smile wide and her eyes sparkled. “Who confessed first?”

The girls all squealed. “I bet it’s Prompto!” One giggled.

“No, it must be Prince Noctis! Prompto is so _shy_ so maybe he didn’t think that the Prince would fall in love with him!

“Doesn’t it sound like a fairytale? The prince who falls in love with the plain, commoner village girl?”

Prompto gaped. What? So he’s now the plain, _commoner village girl_ now? He was about to answer something back when his arm was suddenly pulled, forcing him onto his feet as his seat screeched noisily against the floor.

“...oi, Prompto. Come here already,” Noctis suddenly showed up, his own bento box in one hand as he pulled Prompto closer to him. “Sorry, everyone. He’s eating lunch with me.” And then, without waiting for either Prompto’s or the girls’ responses, he dragged the blond towards the unoccupied seats on the back of the class, not once letting Prompto’s arm go.

The girls all sighed in disappointment, but some of them squealed in delight as Prompto heard a camera clicking on their direction. They giggled again, but Noctis had shoved his shoulder to sit down, and then Noctis sat in front of him, putting his lunch box on the desk and started eating like nothing happened.

 “...what?” Noctis asked when he realised Prompto was not moving. “You’re not hungry?”

“No, it’s...” Prompto stopped. It wasn’t safe to talk about the ‘fake-dating thing’ (as Prompto had dubbed in his mind) in school, since there were people who could hear their conversation. He sighed, and then opened his own lunch box. He murmured a quiet ‘ _thanks for the food_ ’, and silently ate his sandwich.

Noctis then started a few casual chats with him as they ate, trying to keep him distracted, and gradually, Prompto forgot his earlier tension and started to laugh as usual. He could almost swear that several more people were taking their photos a few times, but Prompto didn’t bother to care that much anymore.

When school was over, Noctis invited him to the arcade, and Prompto was happy to follow him. He heard that the new shooting game machine was arriving today, so he was eager to try it out.

As usual, Noctis always died early (he just sucked badly, Prompto laughed at him between cutscenes as Noctis grumbled in irritation). He then left Prompto alone, perhaps to buy a drink, and the blond continued his gameplay. He managed to reach the final stage just before dying at the boss fight, and Prompto groaned, putting the gun back to its place. Damn it was hard; he should go back to finish it sometime.

Something soft and velvety was suddenly pressed to his face, and Prompto sputtered in surprise. Noctis was back, holding a can of juice in one hand and the other was holding...

“A plushie?” Prompto blinked in confusion.

“I got bored waiting for you and tried that claw machine over there,” Noctis pointed towards said machine with his chin, which had a bunch of yellow chocobo plushies stacked messily inside. “You like chocobos, right? Here, it’s for you,” he thrusted the plushie into Prompto’s arms, and dazedly, Prompto accepted it.

He lifted the plushie to examine it carefully. It was just a little bigger than his palm, plastic eyes and a slightly agape beak sewn into the soft velvet. They even included the flapping wings! It was really adorable, and Prompto hugged in tightly in his arms.

“Thank you!” He said with a happy smile. “Thank you so much, Noct! I’ll treasure this.”

Noctis didn’t reply, but he nodded and quickly turned around so he wasn’t facing Prompto, his ears and nape dusted with slight pink. It was quite an adorable sight to see the usually cool prince flustered like that, Prompto grinned.

He shouldered his bag, the chocobo plushie held in one hand. “Wanna hit up Kenny’s Crow before we get home, Noct?” he asked.

“Actually, Ignis texted me earlier that he’s coming today,” Noctis said, finishing up his juice and threw the can away as the stepped out of the arcade. “He said to bring you over, since he has something to discuss.”

“Is he cooking?” Prompto perked up, his face brightening. “I wonder what he’s going to make tonight?”

“Don’t know. But come on, let’s go back to my place already. He should be on his way now,” Noctis turned his phone screen on to check the time. “Don’t want to make him wait.”

“Yosh! Let’s go, then!”

 

 

Prompto had totally forgotten about the whole ‘fake-dating thing’ until Ignis brought it up again that night.

Ignis had already been in Noctis’s apartment by the time they arrived, preparing something in the kitchen, so Noctis and Prompto decided to play a game as they waited for the food to be ready.

Two hours later, both of the teens had already been lying on the sofa in food coma, head on each end with their legs tangling with each other in the middle. “I’m so full,” Prompto groaned, letting out a soft burp. Noctis, apparently, had already dozed off as soon as his head touched the armrest. “It was so good, Ignis’; thank you for the meal!”

“My pleasure,” Ignis commented, as he washed the dishes and put them in the dryer. He dried his hands off before joining them in the living room, sitting on the unoccupied armchair. “Now that everything is settled, I will have to talk about the things you have to do in preparation of your new status as Noct’s boyfriend,” he bent down to reach his bag on the floor, pulling out a small notebook.

Prompto tensed and sat up quickly. The sudden gesture made Noctis stir, but he didn’t wake up. “B-Boyfriend?!” he squeaked.

Ignis sighed. “ _Pretend_ -boyfriend, then,” he corrected, opening the notebook to a certain page and handed it to Prompto. “You didn’t forget, did you, Prompto?”

“N-No, of course not...” Prompto laughed nervously. Well, he didn’t exactly _forget_ ; it just hadn’t crossed his mind after Noctis had saved him from the girls at lunch, and he was having too much fun at the arcade with Noctis to remember...

...come to think of it, the chocobo plushie that Noctis gave to him—wasn’t it like a boyfriend who gave a present to his girlfriend? Er, except that it wasn’t a girlfriend, but _boyfriend_ in their case. A boyfriend who gave a present to his... boyfriend.

Prompto felt his cheeks heating up.

He tried distracting himself by reading what was written in the notebook that Ignis handed him earlier. The page was full of little notes written in meticulous handwriting, with poorly-drawin illustrations slipped here and there. At the end of the notes there was a drawing of two stickmen wearing what seemed to be school uniforms; messy dark clumps scribbled on top of one head and the other had dots littering its face.

“...is this supposed to be me and Noct?” Prompto couldn’t hide his amusement.

Ignis cleared his throat. “It’s just a doodle,” he reasoned. “You can ignore them.”

Prompto just chuckled. The title on the top of the page read as ‘ _Things to Do’_ and it’s got a whole list of things.

  1. _Lessons in royal etiquette for Prompto_
  2. _Banquet planning – dish tasting & sampling_
  3. _Suits for the Festival – Noct & Prompto_



There were still a few lines written ahead, but Prompto paused momentarily at _lessons in royal etiquette for Prompto_ line. He stared at Ignis, and Ignis stared back at him, as if saying ‘ _go ahead and ask anything_ ’.

“Alright, so... the question is,” Prompto started, “why the heck would I need to take lessons in royal etiquette?”

“As Noct’s boyfriend... ehm, _pretend-_ boyfriend, you’re expected to join him in royal matters every now and then,” Ignis explained. “So it’s important for you to at least know a little bit of formal etiquette needed for such occasions. Just in case.”

Prompto sighed. He knew that it was coming sooner or later, but still the sound of it made him feel tired already. He just hoped he could handle whatever Ignis threw at his direction later. “Alright,” he finally said, handing the book back to Ignis. “When do I have to start?”

“Tomorrow, if you don’t mind,” the older man took his bag and put the notebook back in. “I will pick both of you from school and we’ll head together to the Citadel. Noct is going to attend a meal with His Majesty in the evening...” he stood up and readjusted his glasses, “...and I’ll be assisting you instead. No, don’t worry, you’re not going to meet the King this early. Rest assured, Prompto,” he quickly added, knowing how nervous Prompto could be whenever the King was mentioned.

“Great,” Prompto said dryly.

“Then, I’ll see you both tomorrow. Please tell Noct goodbye for me when he wakes up,” Ignis bid his goodbye, and Prompto just made a sound of acknowledgement as the older man disappeared from his sight. He heard the clatter on the doorstep, and then the sound of door opening, automatic lock clicking in place as it was slammed shut.

Prompto sighed and snatched his chocobo plushie, hugging it into his chest as his gaze fell on the still dozing Noctis across him, peaceful and oblivious.

He sighed. “The things I do for my best friend,” he murmured into the plushie’s head.

 

 

Prompto ended up falling asleep on the sofa, still hugging his chocobo plushie, and he only stirred when he felt a hand brushing on his hair. “...mmh?” he murmured sleepily, rubbing his eyes.

“...wake up, chocobo-head,” Noctis voice woke him up. Prompto jumped awake, for a second forgetting that he had stayed on Noctis’s apartment last night. Only when he rubbed the sleep off his eyes that he finally saw his best friend’s face, half-lit with the early sunlight peeking through the window, his dark hair mussed wildly. It seemed that he had only recently woke up himself.

Prompto yawned. “What time is it...?”

“Six thirty,” Noctis went to the kitchen and opened the refrigerator, taking two water bottles out and tossed one to Prompto, who failed to catch it completely as the bottle dropped to his lap. “Still too early. But I guess it’s fine, since I fell asleep right after dinner,” he looked over his shoulder. “When did Ignis leave?”

“Around eight, if I’m not mistaken,” Prompto replied. The cool water really helped quenching his thirst quickly and waking him up. “He said to bid you goodbye, but you didn’t wake up, so after a while...” he shrugged. “...I fell asleep too, I guess.”

“...my bad; sorry about that,” Noctis looked a little bit guilty.

“For what?” Prompto blinked. “It’s completely fine. Although I have to admit that my neck feels a little stiff, but it’s nothing to worry about,” he finished the water and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “I have to go home now, though, so I won’t be late for school...”

Noctis turned. “Why would you have to go home? We can go to school together from my place.”

“Yeah, but...” Prompto looked down sheepishly. “Gotta take a shower and change my shirt too, you know. I think I kinda smell,” he chuckled.

 You can use my shower and I’ll lend you my shirt instead,” Noctis went to the bedroom. “I have spares.”

“Does your shirt even fit me?” Prompto followed Noctis into his room and grimaced at the amount of trash piling in the corner. “Ugh, Noct, you really have to clear up your room sometimes. This place starts to look like a dump.”

Noctis just grumbled. He pulled out a clean, school-issued shirt and a whilte undershirt from his wardrobe. He also took out a new towel and a spare toothbrush. “Here,” he gave them all to Prompto. “Go use the bathroom first; I’ll prepare breakfast.”

Prompto snorted. “Don’t burn the kitchen down, okay?!”

“I’m just going to fry some eggs!”

The blond laughed and entered the bathroom, shutting the door behind him. He took a warm shower— _oh the, shampoo smells nice, like Noct’s_ —and brushed his teeth. Noctis didn’t own a hair gel, so Prompto did his best to make his dishevelled hair behave.

He then took the clothes Noctis had lent him. They were a little bit oversized, but it was more because Prompto was thinner than Noctis. At least it didn’t seem obvious that he was wearing a shirt that wasn’t his.

Prompto went out of the bathroom and headed towards the kitchen. His stomach growled silently as a delicious smell wafted in the air. Noctis was frying eggs on the stovetop, bread in the toaster and a pot of tea brewing. “Smells nice,” Prompto grinned.

Noctis turned to face Prompto, wearing a cute pale blue apron. “Bacon and eggs with toast,” he offered. “Tea?”

“Mm-hmm,” Prompto took the mugs out from the cupboard and set them on the table. “How lucky am I to have the Prince of Lucis cooking breakfast for me?” he laughed. “People are going to be so jealous.”

“They better be, because I don’t do this for anyone else,” Noctis snorted. He turned off the gas and put the eggs on a plate as the toaster dinged. He took out the bread as well, setting the plates on the table. “Dig in, Prom.”

“Thanks for the food!” Prompto happily dug in. The breakfast was nothing extraordinary, but it was alright considering it was Noctis who was cooking.

Prompto waited for Noctis to get ready after they finished breakfast, playing King’s Knight and decided to check a few articles about formal etiquettes. It couldn’t hurt to have known some before he started the lesson with Ignis rather than going in totally blind, right? But after five minutes, Prompto immediately gave up trying to remember what he should do in a formal dining, not to mention the long list of other lessons. Best to just leave them to Ignis later.

They went to school together. Noctis’s apartment was just around ten minutes by foot to school, and Prompto had been spending the night a few times in his friend’s apartment, so the walk was just like usual.

Except... This time with Noctis holding his hand as they walked down the road.

Several people noticed them, and Prompto had even tried to pry their hands away a few times, but Noctis’s hold was persistent, even after they had arrived at school. Noctis didn’t really let him go until they had arrived in class. Immediately Prompto felt pairs of eyes looking on their direction, and he squirmed awkwardly, embarrassed.

“Noct,” he whispered, when they finally had sat down in Noctis’s classroom. “What’s with you today?”

“Hm?” Noctis hummed nonchalantly, taking out his notebook and scribbled on it. “We’re boyfriends, right? Isn’t it normal for us to hold hands?”

Prompto blushed. “I-It’s just a pretend...” he replied weakly.

“Even if it’s just a pretend, at least we have to be convincing,” Noctis stopped writing and looked up. “...unless you don’t want to?” He put up a dejected expression.

Prompto lost (again).

“It’s... It’s fine... It’s just embarrassing, you know...” Prompto murmured, lowering his head and tucking a loose strand of hair to the back of his ear nervously. Dammit, it’s so unfair when Noctis had pulled that dejected expression card.

“It’s not like we’re not that close before,” Noctis commented. “You’re just being too self-conscious of it. Just... relax, you know. It’s not like I’m going to kiss you out of the blue or something like that.”

“K-Kiss?!” Prompto squeaked.

“...I’m just joking, idiot,” Noctis grinned and mussed Prompto’s hair, earning a protest from the blond.

They chatted for a while before Prompto went back to his class when the bell rang. They day went by like usual; there were still several girls who were nosy enough and still tried to corner Prompto for more details, but Noctis whisked him away before they could as further, which Prompto was really grateful at.

When school ended, Ignis greeted them both at the gate, Regalia parked nearby. They went to the Citadel together, and as they slid across the road to the heart of Insomnia, Prompto couldn’t help but feeling nervous.

“Ignis,” he asked. “What kind of lesson I’m going to get for this... ‘royal etiquette’ anyway?”

“Well...” The older man paused, eyes never leaving the road. “Table manners is the first thing that comes to mind, but there are so many things you need to learn. Formal greetings and speech, and then—

“Ignis,” Noctis interrupted, his tone warning. “No pressure.”

“...right. No pressure,” Ignis repeated. “My apologies, Prompto. I’ll do my best to teach you as much as I can in two months, so rest assured.”

Prompto looked at Noctis, but the dark-haired teen had already gone back to his phone, texting someone. In the end, Prompto could only sigh in defeat.

“Please treat me kindly, Ignis,” he murmured.


	3. 02 - head straight, chin up, never look down!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompto meets Regis.
> 
> (meanwhile, somewhere deep down Noctis wants to sink in a hole and never come out again.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> er, other than the fact that my laptop was broken and had to get one of its component replaced, I really have no excuse at the late update. real life started to happen too... i need to get from holiday spirits back to reality ;u; 
> 
> without further ado, enjoy this update! comments always appreciated (｀・ω・´)”

The first week was... extremely exhausting, if Prompto was asked how to summarise it in two words.

By schedule, Prompto would have to do the lessons with Ignis thrice a week. They also had planned a dancing lesson (“ _Dancing? I have to do DANCING as well?!_ ” “ _If you suddenly have need for it..._ ”), but Noctis said to hold them until next month, so at least Prompto could breathe a little.

...not for long, though.

The school, although looked the same, seemed to take a whole new interest to the boy who was ‘Prince Noctis’s boyfriend’ now. They peeked outside Prompto’s classroom just to have a look at him, and then went away with a string of giggles or straight up talked to him, even if Prompto didn’t recognise them.

Even the media was bustling with the news. Several times already Prompto had scrolled in social medias and found articles and photos of them, even the ones that were taken secretly. In the street holding hands (Noctis was quite... persistent), in the arcade sharing a bottle of drink or playing together, or even as they exited the school together. They were usually accompanied with cheesy headlines like ‘ _Prince Noctis, Dating a Commoner?_ ’ or ‘ _Love Blooms for Prince of Lucis!_ ’. It was like there was no privacy for them, even in reality, they were only fake-dating. Prompto felt like he had to share him with the rest of the world; was this what it felt like, dating the second most-important person in the country?

Not to mention the etiquette lessons. Boy, the _lessons_.

Honestly, Prompto never thought that he would finally learn how to eat four courses meal with six utensils and three glasses altogether. Ignis had patiently taught him how to handle each fork and knives and spoons, how to recognise which to use first, and how not to make any sounds with his utensils or with his food. When the third session ended, Ignis sighed, and Prompto felt a little bit guilty.

“...sorry I wasn’t the best student out here,” he apologised, after he had accidentally knocked the glass for the third time.

“It’s quite alright, Prompto,” Ignis sat up, waving his had in dismissal. “You’re still, overall, a better student than Noct. I keep telling him that he couldn’t pick the vegetables out of the plates during the dine-in, but he still does it anyway,” he thinned his lips, recalling the days when he had to train the younger, brattier prince. “Or that he cannot ask for seconds if it’s not offered.”

Prompto stifled his laugh. “Noct asked for _seconds_?”

“Despite his stature, I assure you, Noct eats a lot,” Ignis ran a hand on his hair. “Anyway, you’re doing good, Prompto. Your sitting posture still needs working, but other than that, it’s all just memorisation,” Ignis let out a small smile and patted Prompto’s head. “Next week, we’ll move to other material. How does formal greetings and speech sound for you?”

“At this point, I’ll just take whatever you throw my way, Ignis,” Prompto laughed half-heartedly. “I just want this to be over already. Ugh, why must it be two months long?!” The blond groaned, letting his head fall behind. “It’s not going to benefit me in any way after this is over.”

Prompto missed on how Ignis’s eyes glinted behind his glasses. “It definitely will,” the older man said. “Noct is... quite fond of you, and I’m certain that you’ll be sticking with us for a long time to accompany the “Prince to other... formal businesses and parties. Didn’t Noct already invite you to a gala last year with him? When such time comes again, you’re going to thank me for drilling these lessons into your brain.”

“Gee, thanks,” Prompto grimaced at the mental image.

Ignis then looked at his watch. “I guess we’re done for the day,” he said, standing up. “Come, I’ll take you back to your home, Prompto.”

Prompto blinked. “Noct’s not going home today?”

“He will spend the night in the Citadel this weekend, I heard,” Ignis glanced towards him. “Is there something you need from Noct, Prompto?”

“No, um. Just remembered that I left Nocti—ti—g-gar in Noct’s apartment,” Prompto stumbled over his words. He barely caught himself.

Ignis raised an eyebrow. “...Noc-ti-gar?”

“My chocobo plushie!” Prompto blushed. “I-I mean, Noct gave me that plushie, and since I spend so much time in his apartment, I leave it there. But if I’m going home this weekend, I want to take Nocti..gar back home with me... uh.”

“...pardon me,” Ignis cleared his throat, and Prompto knew that he was trying to not to laugh at him. “Did you just name the plushie after Noct...?”

Damn it, of course Ignis would notice his slip. _Curse my damn mouth, curse it_. “Um... Noct gave me that plushie, like I said, and it’s just... I-It’s just right to name it after him, you know?” Prompto scratched the back of his head awkwardly, lowering his head in embarrassment. “Uh... Don’t tell Noct, please? He’ll think I’m gross for naming the chocobo after him.”

“So... It’s like a replacement of Noct,” Ignis inquired, a ghost of smile hanging on his lips.

 “No! Noct _can’t_ be replaced!” Prompto hastily answered. “No, no, no. Like I said—oh, fuck this,” he cursed under his breath. “Just... let it go, Ignis? Please? Cherry on top?”

“Alright,” Ignis finally said, but it was obvious that he was still trying hard not to laugh. Or at least, smile. “I won’t tell Noct about... erm, Noctigar. But would you still want to retrieve it?” he added.

Prompto groaned, mortified, but he nodded. He was going to keep the chocobo plushie in his room now. Hopefully Ignis kept his promise about not telling Noctis about... Noctigar.

 

 

“Where does the name ‘Noctigar’ come from, Prompto?”

Prompto choked on a piece of corn. Luckily, his drink was right beside him, so he quickly took large gulps to clear his airway. “Uh... W-What’s that, coming all of sudden?” He tried playing dumb.

“Ignis told me,” Noctis said, his tone amused, “that you named the chocobo plushie I gave you as Noctigar.”

 _Ignis is so dead_ , Prompto gritted his teeth as he silently screamed murder inside. “It’s... nothing, really... Just named it on a sudden whim...” He wasn’t really lying about it, though. “Just couldn’t keep calling the little guy ‘chocobo’, right?!”

Noctis hummed. “It’s alright, Prom, I’m not angry,” he chuckled. “I just find it cute. So you _are_ that fond of me.”

“I am _not_ ,” Prompto pouted. Thankfully, Noctis didn’t push the issue further, so he quickly changed the subject. “Want to hang out this weekend? Could use some refreshment after getting lessons from Ignis.”

“Ah, sorry. I have to meet with Father this weekend.” At the mention of his father, Noctis frowned slightly. “It’s... urgent business.”

“Getting busier with the festival preparation?” Prompto suppressed the disappointment that was starting to bubble up. Noctis was the Prince; he had his own duty to fulfil. It wasn’t like Noctis was going to spend more time with him, now that he’s his boyfriend... Er, he meant, _pretend_ -boyfriend.

“Not really. It’s... actually a different business,” Noctis bit his lip, and then exhalend. “Sorry that I haven’t told you about this yet...”

Noctis then went on full detail on how the King—his father—had found out that Noctis had Prompto as his ‘boyfriend’ and was looking forward to meet him; but Noctis had predicted that Prompto would probably freak out if they _did_ meet so he had to tell his father the truth. That their relationship was just a charade to fend off persistent suitors from the noble houses and would end after the festival had passed.

“So... Is the King angry at me now?” Prompto chewed on his lower lip, worried.

“...more like he was even _more_ eager to meet you now,” Noctis groaned. “He won’t stop pestering me for it. But I do plan to bring you to meet him later...” He scratched his head. “There’s also the thing with the media.”

“The... media?” The blond asked, confused.

“Some of them had contacted the royal representation in request for an interview of me and... said boyfriend of the Prince. Which is you,” Noctis sighed. “I won’t mind, since it’s part of my life anyway, but on the other hand, you _will_. This isn’t going to be easy.”

Prompto hated seeing his best friend looking so miserable. “It’s alright, actually!” He blurted out. “You don’t have to go through this by yourself. I-I mean, as your supposed boyfriend now, we should share the burden together, right?! Half and half!” he hugged Noctis’s shoulder and gave him a small squeeze. “The King... I mean, your father... He just wants to meet me. No big deal! I can handle it. It’s just a meeting. And the interview! I’m not... er, opposed to it. It’s going to be rough, but...” he lowered his head, feeling his cheeks heating up. “...I’ll be fine as long as I’m with you.”

“Prompto...” Noctis’s dark eyes widened, and Prompto could see the slight blush adorning his cheeks. “I, uh... I-I appreciate it, I guess. Thanks,” he murmured, cheeks getting redder with each word.

“No problem! Anything for my best friend!” Prompto grinned, before he turned sheepish. “Erm, plus pretend-boyfriend now?”

“That ‘pretend’ is absolutely unnecessary,” Noctis chuckled, pinching Prompto’s cheek lightly. Prompto let him, though—it’s good to see Noctis back to his playful mood again. “But really, thanks. So... I take it that you’ll be okay with meeting my father this weekend? The faster we get it done, the sooner my father will stop asking me about it.”

“Um, yeah, I guess. After Ignis’s lesson, then?”

Noctis nodded. “We’ll have dinner in the Citadel together afterwards,” he smiled. “See? We get to hang out after all. Sorry for being too busy last week; I can’t accompany you on your lessons.”

“It’s fine, it’s fine,” Prompto waved it off. Ignis had mentioned that while he had his etiquette lessons, Noctis was training with Gladio instead. “It was just table manner for the time being; having you observing my lesson will make me mess them up, since I can’t resist not talking to you,” he laughed. “And I also hear a few interesting things about you from Ignis.”

The prince scowled. “I’m going to kill Ignis if he blabbed about the embarrassing things.”

“Ohh, scary~” Prompto laughed.

Their bickering was cut short when the afternoon bell rang, but they were satisfied on how things finally turned out.

 _It might not be so bad, being Noctis’s boyfriend,_ Prompto thought.

 

 

 _Dear Astrals, please help me_ , Prompto lamented.

King Regis Lucis Caelum CXIII was an imposing man with great presence. Clothed in black robes, with greying dark hair and wrinkles adorning his rapidly aging face, he presented himself with grace, his sworn Shield standing by his side, making Prompto tremble slightly. Honestly, he should have known that the meeting was bound to happen sooner or later—he was Noctis’s best friend, and like any other friend would, Noctis would eventually bring Prompto along to meet his father. Who was, considering that Noctis _was_ a prince, the King of Lucis himself.

“Father,” Noctis began, saluting his dad with a slight, awkward bow. “This is Prompto. My best friend.”

They had met in the King’s study after Prompto’s etiquette lesson ended, with Gladio and Ignis escorting them. They stood by the door, looking a little bit tense themselves. Prompto had even started sweating, even though the room was far from hot. Noctis had their hands linked together and squeezed Prompto’s lightly, as if reassuring him.

“Hmm,” he King hummed, and raised from his seat. “Prompto, isn’t it?”

“I-It’s nice to meet you, Sir!” Prompto blurted out suddenly, Ignis’s earlier lesson totally forgotten. He even wasn’t sure how to call the King; should he call him ‘Your Majesty’? Or maybe another greeting? He didn’t want to embarrass himself.

“Well,” Regis raised an eyebrow, a smile forming on his lips. “Greetings, Nice to Meet You Sir. I’m Regis, Noctis’s father, as you have already known. Pleased to meet you.”

...

The whole room suddenly fell eerily silent. Prompto froze.

...did the King just actually throw in a _dad joke_ on him?

“Father!” Noctis hissed, embarrassed, as someone in the room snorted.

Then Prompto laughed, hard. Everybody turned to look at him, so he tried to suppress his laugh. “I-I’m so sorry,” he wheezed, still chuckling. “I-I just—did the King just _throw_ me a dad joke?!” He howled with laughter once again. “T-That surprised me.”

“...sorry,” Prompto heard Noctis murmuring beside him.

“No, that’s... not a bad thing,” he finally smiled, feeling more relaxed compared to before. “It’s just...” he turned to Noctis. “Your father’s awesome.”

“Really?” Noctis sounded genuinely surprised.

“Tsk, tsk. Noctis, I’m hurt that you’re doubting your own father here,” Regis spoke up as he stood from the chair and walked around his desk to approach Prompto and Noctis. “Let’s start this again, young man, shall we?” He offered a hand to Prompto. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“Sir,” Prompto smiled and shook the offered hand. The King’s grip was firm and the shake was strong but gentle. “Prompto Argentum. I’m... ah... Noct’s friend.”

“I’ve heard everything from Noctis,” Regis put a hand on Prompto’s shoulder so casually, the teen let go of Noctis’s hand in surprise. “I apologise on behalf of my idiot son who has involved you in such... charade to protect himself."

“ _Father_ ,” Noctis groaned.

“No, it’s alright, really!” Prompto grinned as the King whisked them both outside the room, the others hot on their trails. “I’m happy that I’m able to help Noct. It’s just pretending, no big deal!”

“But as a lover?” Regis raised an eyebrow. “I was more concerned about you, young man. The public can be unforgiving at times, especially for a scoop regarding the royal family,” he squeezed Prompto’s arm. “Have they been giving you a hard time?”

“Nothing really worth the royal’s concern, I think,” Prompto said, but he gasped quietly when he remembered that he was talking to the goddamn _King_ of Lucis. “I-I’m sorry, I don’t mean it that way. It’s nothing, really! Sir!” He flailed both of his hands, flustered.

Regis just gave him a wide smile before turning to face the crowd behind him. “Has he always been like this to Noctis?”

Clarus gave Prompto a disapproving look, but Gladio and Ignis just chuckled and sighed, respectively. “All the time, Your Majesty,” Gladio nodded.

“So casual, even with the Crown Prince,” Ignis added. “But that’s why Noct likes h—b- _befriending_ him. Prompto doesn’t treat him differently just because he’s the Prince.” He grimaced.

“S-Sorry,” Prompto hurriedly apologised.

“Why did you apologise, Prompto? Instead, I want to thank you for that,” Regis laughed and mussed Prompto’s hair. “Noctis has always been awkward at making friends. But now he has you... I guess my worries are unfounded now.” He gave Prompto a smile, and that seemed to make the blond relax.

It was mildly surprising for Prompto that Regis was _actually_ so dorky, just like any other dads out there. He especially liked embarrassing Noctis with his awkward dad jokes, which Prompto found hilarious. He might be the King of a nation, but he was just a normal father, albeit a very busy one. But still a father.

That revelation warmed Prompto’s heart greatly.

Dinner went great, with Regis and Prompto exchanging chats with each other. Regis seemed to be interested in Prompto’s photography hobby, while Prompto was eager to hear more about all of Noctis’s embarrassing childhood stories. Noctis, who sat on the other end of the table seemed to go unnoticed.

“—and then when we went to visit Tenebrae and meet the Imperial family, Noctis went red when he first met Princess Lunafreya,” Regis nodded solemnly. “Maybe it was love at first sight?”

“She _is_ beautiful,” Prompto agreed. He had never met the Oracle in real life, but from what he had seen on TVs when they took footage of her journey around the world as the Oracle, Prompto was entranced by her beauty and kindness as well. She must be a very amazing woman.

“Father, _please_ ,” Noctis’s plead went to deaf ears. “I was just eight at that time!”

“Ooh, he’s embarrassed,” Regis grinned. “Also, every time Ravus appeared, Noctis just hid behind me or Lunafreya. It was really adorable!”

 _Ravus_ , Prompto tried to remember. Ah, the Imperial Prince of Tenebrae, now the Emperor as their Queen passed away last year. Well, he was quite intimidating, in contrast of the soft, kind-hearted Lunafreya. But it was still hilarious imagining Noctis being afraid of Ravus.

“ _Fatheeeeeeeer_ ,” Noctis whined while Prompto and Regis laughed. “Come _on_! Stop embarrassing me!” He buried his face on his palm. “Astrals, this is why I don’t want you to meet Prompto...”

“And let you keep such a wonderful boy to yourself? Tsk, tsk,” Regis tutted. “Don’t be so selfish, my son.”

Noctis groaned. Hard.

When dinner finally ended, Prompto bid the King farewell although he was offered to stay the night in the Citadel. “There’s an empty room available for you,” Regis offered. “Or you can stay in Noctis’s room, if you desire so.”

“Thank you, Sir, but I have to pass that offer, I apologise,” Prompto politely refused. “I need to go back home; there are things I have planned for tomorrow.”

“I see... That’s too bad. Will I get to meet you again?”

Prompto nodded. “Of course. Anytime you wish, Sir,” he gave Regis a bright smile. “It’s really nice to be given the opportunity to meet you, Sir.”

“Of course. Please, don’t mention it,” Regis nodded once. “Also, Prompto...”

“Yes?”

Regis cleared his throat. “You’re welcome to call me ‘Father’ as well. I don’t mind.”

Beside him, Noctis stared at his father in horror.

Prompto blinked. Once, twice, before he laughed. Another one of the King’s jokes, huh? “That’s a good one, Sir! You almost had me!” He smiled, and then bowed once and bid them goodbye. “Good night, Sir! You too, Noct! See you on Monday in school!”

Prompto was gone so fast he missed the way Regis looked at Noctis in pity after that.


	4. 03 - don’t actually fall in love. like, don’t.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompto is confused and upset.
> 
> (meanwhile, somewhere deep down Noctis wants to sink in a hole and never come out again – #2.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this update contains the plot i write after getting suggestion from a friend. it’s actually pretty hilarious visualised (in my head, at least), but it seems that i can’t really capture it well with my description. i tried my best, though—hopefully it’s well enough!
> 
> also, i changed the message format. i have totally forgotten that email-like message formats were on flip phones era, which is like... ten years ago or so. OTL
> 
> comments always appreciated! ♥(ˆ⌣ˆԅ)

The third week rolled in, and the commotion had, at least, died down a little bit.

People were busy preparing for the Festival of Light instead—planning for booths, parade routes, selling decorations for the citizens to be put on their homes. Everybody seemed to forget about Prompto and Noctis, which brought relief for both of the teenagers.

“Honestly, I thought it wasn’t going to end,” Prompto said, eating his yakisoba bread. “The fuss about me dating you, I mean. But it goes off surprisingly fast.”

“It’s because the people have their attention on other things instead. In about one or two weeks before the Festival, everybody will get interested in us again, since I’m expected to lead the Last Dance now that I’m eighteen,” Noctis picked on his potato salad, trying to remove all the diced carrots in them.

The Last Dance was part of the closing ceremony for the Festival. It was held in several places, but the citizens mainly gathered in the central square in front of the Citadel, under the full moonlight, and danced with their partners and friends. It was also a popular event for love confessions or proposals. Traditionally, it was led by the King and Queen of Lucis, but since Queen Aulea passed away, the King didn’t want to attend the dance without his wife. But now, with Noctis turning eighteen, the tradition would continue once again.

“...do I really have to participate?” Prompto whined. “I really don’t know how to dance...”

“That’s why Ignis will teach you how to,” Noctis chewed on the shrimp, abandoning the potato salad altogether when he realised he couldn’t remove all the carrots. “It’s nothing formal, so you don’t have to worry about making mistakes or anything like that, to be honest. Think of it like a dance between friends.”

“But it’s a good chance to bring someone to the festival,” Prompto pouted, sipping his milk carton.

“Why would you even need someone? We’re going together—“ Noctis stopped eating and eyed his best friend carefully, his dark blue eyes narrowing. “...are you currently dating someone without me knowing?”

“No!” Prompto quickly answered, then deflated soon after. “...I can’t since I’m technically still dating you anyway. But...” he sighed. “I just want my last year of high school be a little bit more... merrier, you know. Dating a girl and such, maybe score myself with a romantic walk in Galdin Quay sometime in the weekend. I was hoping to at least get a sweet first kiss.”

Noctis stared at him for a while, before resuming eating. “You’re such a hopeless romantic.”

“Hey!” Prompto protested. “But seriously, Noct. If not because you’re my best friend, I wouldn’t want to agree to fake-date you at all.” Prompto rested his chin against his knees, staring at Noctis. “You’re handsome, and a prince... You can pick anyone you like. Why me?” He murmured.

Noctis put down his chopsticks. “...it’s _because_ I’m the prince,” he sighed. “Everybody wants me for my title, but not who I am. I’m sure that even Gladio and Ignis stayed by my side in the first place because I’m the prince,” Prompto opened his mouth to say something, but Noctis held up his hand, stopping him. “Years of friendship changed that. But still... You’re the only one who doesn’t seem to be bothered by it,” he looked at Prompto straight into his eyes. “By my status, I mean.”

Prompto bit his lip. He knew that wasn’t true. The reason he was what he was now was because of Noctis. _Because if not, I can’t be the Prince’s friend_. “It’s...” he wanted to say it, said that it wasn’t true, but his words died down in his throat. Instead, he choked out a stuttered response. “You’re... You’re more just a prince, Noct. You’re so awesome, I even get jealous sometimes.”

“I know,” Noctis put a hand on Prompto’s hair and brushed aside the bangs that had fallen on his face. “You see me more than that, Prom, and that’s why I’m grateful that you’re my... best friend,” he paused. “I wouldn’t want anyone else.”

Noctis’s fingertips brushed against Prompto’s freckled cheek, and for a second, he let himself enjoy the touch. It felt warm and safe and familiar, and he nuzzled his cheek against the hand—

The bell rang.

Prompto had to swallow back the disappointment when Noctis retreated his hand. “Come one, let’s get back,” he said, packing his lunch box back and stood up. “You have Chemistry next, right? You know the teacher’s always on time for class.”

“Right,” Prompto hurriedly gathered his trash and followed Noctis back to class. Slowly, he traced the place where Noctis had touched him before; he could still feel the hard callous of his fingers, how gentle he was when he brushed against his cheek—

Prompto’s heart throbbed painfully in his chest.

_What is this feeling...?_

 

 

On Friday, Noctis left on the sixth period, and since he didn’t have lessons with Ignis today, Prompto had to go home alone. He sighed as the bell rang, signalling the end of school.

He slipped his notes (also a copy for Noctis) inside his bag and made his way out of the classroom to the shoe lockers, changing his indoor shoes and headed outside. The weather was nice; it’s not too hot, so he was thinking to stop in the arcade to spend some time, and then maybe getting some groceries on the way home.

Prompto hadn’t even exited the gate when someone suddenly approached him. “Hey, kid. You’re Prompto, right? Prompto Argentum?”

He looked up to see a man towering over him. Light brown hair, a semi-formal attire with a ridiculous tie, and... was that a reporter name tag hanging around his neck? “Uh, yes, that’s me. Is there something you need from me...?”

“Finally!” the man gestured behind him, and the cameraman showed up. “We’ve been looking forward to meet you, Prince Noctis’s boyfriend!”

Prompto took a step backward. Uh-oh, he didn’t like where this was going. Not at all.

“Uh, I-I...” Prompto stammered. Don’t get him wrong; he _loved_ cameras, but maybe not when someone he didn’t know was pointing it at him. “What... can I do for you?”

He started sweating. Prompto could feel the other students’ eyes on him, looking mildly curious or just plainly pointing at him.

“Don’t look so nervous; we just want to talk,” the man said. “I’m Dino Ghiranze from New 8. You’ve been the talk of the city for quite some time, Prompto-kun,” he took out a small tape recorder from his pocket. Prompto stepped backwards more, only to find that the gate was right behind him. _I’m trapped_ , the thought. He wouldn’t be able to run away now. Not easily, at least.

“I... don’t really have anything to say to you,” he tried. “And Noct is not with me right now.”

“We know that! Actually, we are more interested in you now, Prompto-kun,” Dino gave him a smile, but Prompto was more creeped out by it rather than assured. “The so-called best friend turned lover of Prince Noctis! This will make a very good story if we can get an exclusive interview of you first.”

“N-No, I...” Prompto was really cornered now. Why, again, why would he agree to help Noctis in the first place? He knew these kind of things would happen; the attention was inevitable. But this was terrifying, and he was alone, without Noctis to help him.

“...oi, Prompto.”

The blond looked up when he heard his name being called by a familiar voice. There he was; Gladio, standing near a sleek, black sedan, looking half-pissed when he saw Dino. “What’re you doing with my friend, huh?”

“Nothing. I just want to interview him for a bit,” Dino smiled and raised both of his hands as he backed away from Prompto, making the younger exhaled in relief. “The Prince’s Shield, huh...”

“C’mere, Prom,” Gladio gestured to Prompto, and the teen scurried away towards him. Dino and his cameraman didn’t follow, but Prompto could feel the camera being pointed at him. “Reporters have been scheduled for official interview, so please follor that. If I catch you loitering around the Prince or his... boyfriend’s places again, I will let Noct know so he can ban your damn ass from getting an interview.” Gladio said, as he opened the car door for Prompto.

Prompto hurriedly got in. He saw a young girl inside, who offered him a water bottle as soon as the door was closed. Gladio himself scooted to the driver seat, grumbling as he put on the safety belt and drove away. “Are you okay, Prompto?”

“Y-Yeah, I’m fine. You really saved me there, Gladio. Thanks,” Prompto took the offered bottle and drank, trying to calm himself down. “What are you doing here...?”

“Iris wants to go out shopping, so I’m here to accompany her,” the older man pointed at the back seat. The young girl smiled and extended a hand.

“I’m Iris!” she said cheerfully. “You’re Prompto, right? I’ve heard about you from Noctis!”

“O-Oh,” Prompto blushed, reluctantly shaking Iris’s offered hand. “Nice to meet you... finally. Hopefully Noct didn’t tell you anything strange about me...”

“No, of course not!” Iris giggled. “He always talked about how cute you are, and he even showed me some of your photos together! You two really make a perfect couple!”

Prompto almost swore her eyes were _sparkling_.

Gladio coughed. “Iris,” he chided her gently. “Don’t bother Prompto too much, okay?”

“Naah, he won’t mind,” Iris dismissed him, pouting. “You guys always treat me like I’m still a child!”

“It’s fine, Gladio,” Prompto smiled. After his earlier ordeal, Iris was like a breath of fresh air for him. “Didn’t you say that Iris want to go shopping?”

“I want to buy some new clothes for the Festival!” Iris smiled. “A boy from my class had asked me to come with him for the Last Dance, and I’m going with him!”

“...Iris,” Gladio’s tone dropped a pitch. “What did you just say...?”

“I said, I’m going to the Festival with a boy from my class!” Iris replied again, her tone more rebellious this time. “And you can’t forbid me to, big brother! Father has already given me permission to go!”

At that, Gladio shut up, but from the rearview mirror Prompto could see that Gladio certainly disagreed. He tried to diffuse the situation. “It’s alright! I mean, it’s just going to the dance with someone! As a friend, right, iris?” He laughed, patting the girl’s shoulder. “The Last Dance isn’t always about lovers.”

Iris nodded in agreement. “See, even Prompto understands! You’re too overprotective, big brother. I’m already thirteen this year!” She huffed, before turning to Prompto. Are you planning to shop for the Dance too?”

“Er...” Prompto paused. Honestly, he hadn’t even stopped to think about it. Ignis did say that Noctis and he were going to get a matching suit, but he could choose his own accessories. “No... Not really. A lot has been going on lately, so... It just hasn’t crossed on my mind.”

“Then you should come with us!” Iris beamed. “Right, big brother?”

Gladio hesitated at first, but he finally replied. “As long as Prompto agrees, I guess there’s no trouble.”

Iris cheered. “Then, you’ll come with us, right?! Prompto?”

Prompto didn’t have the heart to refuse her.

 

 

Prompto ended up going home with two pairs of matching cufflinks that night. Iris had pushed them on him, insisting that they were a gift from her and Gladio as a congratulation for his and Noctis’s relationship. Judging from the way Gladio had looked sideways when Iris said that, it seemed that nobody other than Gladio, Ignis, and Regis that had known about his and Noctis’s pretend relationship for now.

He sighed as he took off his school blazer and dropped on the bed, tired. Today was really exhausting, he just wanted to go to sleep. But suddenly his phone vibrated in his pocket, so he fished it out. Noctis had sent him a chat.

> [Noct] _u ok? – 21.09_  
>  [Noct] _i heard from gladio. sorry i wasn’t there – 21.09_
> 
> [Prompto] _i’m fine! don’t worry – 21.09_  
>  [Prompto] _went shopping with iris too. she got us sth – 21.10_  
>  [Prompto] _pick it up tomorrow? – 21.10_
> 
> [Noct] _not from you? what a disappointment – 21.11_  
>  [Noct] _i'll meet you after you’re finished with ignis -21.11_
> 
> [Prompto] _let’s go somewhere then! – 21.12_  
>  [Prompto] _i'll treat you sth. maybe crow’s nest (_ _｢_ _`_ _･ω･_ _)_ _｢_ _\- 21.13_
> 
> [Noct] _whaaat? stingy – 21.14_  
>  [Noct] _should be at least sushi. but i'll take it – 21.14_

Prompto smiled, putting his phone down on the bedside table. His mind wandered as he closed his eyes. It would be nice to go shopping with Noctis sometime; maybe if he saved up more, he could buy something for Noctis’s birthday next year; this year he just managed to buy him a small cake (which, of course, paled in comparison with Ignis’s homemade cake, but Noctis said that the cake he baked was a carrot cake so he didn’t take a bite of it). Perhaps a new fishing gear. Noctis would always love new fishing gears.

His phone buzzed again with incoming message, presumably from Noctis. Prompto didn’t really want to read it, since his eyelids felt so heavy already, but maybe it was important; so he picked up his phone and unlocked the screen—

—and froze.

> [Noct] _Good night. sweet dreams. like you – 21.21_

Prompto immediately sat up straight from his bed. His hands trembled. Did he read it right? Astrals, Noctis just sent him a message saying he _liked_ him.

...it must be a mistake, right? Maybe Noctis was half-asleep when he sent it. Perhaps he intended to say _sukiyaki_ , and sent it halfway. Prompto blamed his own sleepiness for that. Right; maybe when he woke up next morning, it was proven to be just a dream.

Prompto didn’t reply and put his phone down, setting it to night mode and pulled the sheets over his body, not bothering to change his clothes.

 

 

Noctis didn’t say anything about last night’s text when they met, so Prompto also pretended that the message didn’t exist at all. He was really burnt out by today’s session; Ignis was particularly harsh today, snapping even at little mistakes. Maybe things were getting more stressful lately, now that people only have a month left for the Festival’s preparation.

“How’re you doing?” Noctis greeted him, tapping a cold soda can against his cheek, eliciting a surprised ‘ _cold!’_ from him. Prompto pouted and raised his head from the table.

“Not so fine,” he grumbled, but the blond took the soda can and snapped the lid open. “Ignis is snappy today. What happened?”

Noctis shrugged. “I heard it has something to do with yesterday’s incident with you,” he said. “He didn’t appreciate what that reporter did to you, so he called to the station. Guess it doesn’t really go so well.”

Prompto sighed. He understood, but it didn’t mean that Ignis should snap at him. In fact, _he_ was the victim here; he should be the one who was comforted instead.

“Don’t worry about it. He’ll feel bad about it later, he’s going to insist to cook you something or whatever to make that up,” Noctis told him, as if reading his mind. “If you’re finished, let’s go out and eat something. I’m starving.”

“Huh?” Prompto stared at the dark-haired teen. “Aren’t you going to spend the night here?”

“Nah,” Noctis shook his head. “I’m not always spending my weekends here. Come on, let’s get going already. Didn’t you say you’re going to treat me today?” He teased.

Prompto frowned. So Noctis _did_ remember their messages last night. He felt a pang in his chest when he realised that Noctis really didn’t want (or remember, didn’t matter which) to talk about his last text yesterday. Was it just a joke to him then? It if was, then it wasn’t funny at all. Especially when Prompto was starting to doubt his own feelings.

“...Prompto?”

Prompto shook his head to get rid of the thoughts. “I’m coming,” he said, picking up his bag and followed Noctis outside.

 

 

“Two Hell Ramen, coming,” the owner put the bowl of steaming hot ramen in front of Noctis and Prompto. The blond glanced at Noctis, who was starting to sweat as he eyed the angry red broth doubtfully.

“...I’m suddenly not so sure about this,” he murmured.

“We agreed,” Prompto smirked. They had finally decided to eat in a small ramen stall near Prompto’s part-time job, which was famous for its super spicy ramen. The owner gave them a few more curious glances, perhaps checking whether it was really the prince and his so-called boyfriend eating at his place, but he said nothing else. “And I’m paying, so you can’t protest.”

“Alright, alright...” Noctis said in defeat, splitting his wooden chopsticks. Prompto stared at him as he took his first bite, and then his dark blue eyes widened and he snatched his glass of cold tea, chugging the contents down until it’s half empty. “Goddammit!”

Prompto laughed. “It’s not so bad, right?”

“If I get a terrible stomach ache from this, I’m telling Ignis that you’re the one who force me to eat this,” Noctis grumbled. His eyes watered and his lips had turned red from the spiciness. “I swear to Ramuh’s beard this is so spicy. Why do I agree to this again? I hate you so much, Prom.”

The blond snorted. “Love you too, Noct. Now eat.”

He felt a surge of temporary satisfaction when Noctis choked on the broth he’s currently slurping in, seeing the dark-haired teen scrambled for his tea again to ease the burning in his throat. He could feel Noctis glaring at him afterwards, but he ignored him. _Payback_.

They mostly ate in silence. Gradually, Prompto started to feel the slow burn inside his mouth and stomach. He might love spicy food, but perhaps this time the ramen he ordered was starting to get beyond his tolerance level. Meanwhile, beside him, Noctis had already been sweating bullets, tears prickling from the corner of his eyes as he huffed, drinking and refilling his tea. Which, didn’t seem to relief the spiciness at all.

Prompto started to regret why he ordered the hot tea instead. Sure, people might say that hot drinks relieved spiciness better, but at times like this cold tea would probably ease the burning faster. At one point when Prompto couldn’t hold it anymore, he snatched Noct’s glass of tea from the table.

“Ah! Hey, that’s mine!” Noctis protested, but Prompto ignored him. The two of them then broke into a mild, playful scuffle for the glass. Noctis might be stronger than him, but Prompto was faster, twisting his body and arms out of the dark-haired teen’s reach and downed the content of the glass in one go.

“ _Prompto_!” Noctis yelled, frustrated and panicked, and Prompto was about to swallow down the last of the tea in his mouth when Noctis gripped both of his shoulders, forced them face-to-face, and swooped down to _kiss_ him.

Prompto yelped when Noctis forced his mouth open with his tongue and sputtered tea all over them. He could feel the heat of spiciness on Noctis’s lips and tongue, and how the other sipped the liquid inside and just _accidentally_ nipped on his lips on the process. Prompto tried to struggle, trying to break free from the kiss, but fuck how was Noctis’s hold so _strong_?!

The ramen stall was empty save for them. The owner was somewhere out there in the back, thus Prompto was saved from public embarrassment. He wasn’t going to take any of this shitty kiss, though; so he shoved Noctis, hard, until the dark-haired teen tumbled down off his stool.

Prompto wiped on his lips, wet with saliva, spilled tea, and remnants of super spicy broth. The inside of his mouth burned from the spiciness—and from the warmth of Noctis’s tongue had left behind. His eyes watered.

“You—you—“ Prompto huffed, out of words, his face red and all the emotions he had bundled up since last night exploded. “Noct, you idiot! I _hate_ you!” I hope you fall down, crack your skull, and _die_!” he yelled out childishly, before bolting out of the stall with his bag, leaving his dumbfounded best friend behind.

 _Stupid, stupid, stupid Noct!_ He cursed as he ran away, not noticing where he was going, just enough so that Noctis couldn’t follow him. When he was certain he’s far enough, Prompto stopped to catch his breath.

Noctis just stole his first kiss. And dammit, that was one _awful_ kiss. Who the hell wanted their first kiss to taste like spicy broth and burning in their mouth, messy with saliva and tea and probably smelled like spring onion and grated garlic? Definitely _not_ Prompto. But heck, that was his first kiss.

And it was with Noctis.

 _Shit_ , Prompto thought. He just kissed with Noctis. _Kissed_. Or precisely, Noctis had kissed him.

Prompto freaked out momentarily, his cheeks heating up. They _kissed_. Why did Noctis kiss him? A part of him felt happy for some reason; but dammit, that was disgusting. Most probably because of all the spit and tea involved and Prompto still could taste the damn spicy ramen in Noctis mouth but— _dammit_.

And this tongue—Prompto could still _feel_ when it caressed the inside of his mouth. Noctis sure could kiss someone—but wait, he _kissed_ him. They kissed. Noctis had kissed _him_ , of all people.

“Aaa _rrrgg **ghhhh**_ ,” Prompto yelled to the open air as he pulled on his own hair, ignoring the strange looks from the people around him. This was so frustrating—and confusing.

The blond took the train home. He turned off his phone when it wouldn’t stop vibrating, not even bothering to check who had called him or sent him texts. He took a cold shower and brushed his teeth, making sure to gargle twice to get rid of any lingering tastes, and went to a fitful sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the pun on the last text is actually lost in translation. "like you" is written as すき ( _suki_ ) and actually can already be considered a confession of love. kanji-wise, it's different from _sukiyaki_ , but phonetically it's the same, so prompto just assumed that noct was intending to write _sukiyaki_ to him. :P
> 
> (i know i probably should have gone with an english pun here, but i'm drawing a blank. apologies for that (_ _) )


	5. 04 - conceal, don’t feel, don’t let him know...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompto friendzones himself.
> 
> (meanwhile, somewhere deep down Noctis wants to sink in a hole and never come out again – #3.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> summary taken from one of the comments in the original fill. i love you, anon! you made my day back then with that comment. XD
> 
> i really don’t like this chapter—there’s not much i can do other than editing a few minor mistakes and changing some words so it won’t get repetitive. orz. 
> 
> as usual comments always appreciated!

“Prompto.”

“What?”

Ignis sighed. “I will appreciate it if you concentrate more on the lesson, Prompto. That’s already the fifth time you stepped on my toes,” he inquired, letting go of Prompto’s hand and waist.

“...sorry,” Prompto murmured. He sat down on a nearby chair and sighed, swinging his legs back and forth. Ignis joined him shortly, offering Prompto a bottle of cold tea. “I just... I can’t really concentrate. I’m really sorry about that, Ignis.”

“I noticed,” Ignis stated calmly. “It’s been almost two weeks, Prompto. I’m not pushing you, but... Won’t you forgive him already?”

Prompto had been giving Noctis the silent treatment since the incident on the ramen stall. It was easy to ignore him—they didn’t share the same class, and Noctis didn’t seem to have the courage to approach him as well. He was sure Noctis had told Ignis and Gladio what happened, though—because they looked sympathetic, but opting not to interfere. _He messed up and he should be the one who cleans it up,_ Gladio had said to him.

If Ignis had sat down with him and tried to talk about forgiving Noctis, perhaps the prince was getting desperate.

Prompto lowered his head. “I’m actually not mad at him anymore. I’m still ignoring him, but... I just want him to apologise,” Prompto sulked. “Getting me flowers and asking Gladio or you to take me home or the Citadel is not an apology.”

Ignis raised an eyebrow. “If Noct apologises about kissing you, will you forgive him?”

“Maybe,” Prompto shrugged. “It’s... I understand. This... boyfriend thing is all just for show anyway. Maybe Noct gets into it too much, he starts getting weird ideas to prank me or... whatever,” he swallowed down the raw emotions threatening to surface. “It’s going to be over soon as the Festival ended. I’ll have to talk to Noct later about how we’ll break up afterwards."

“...Prompto,” Ignis touched his shoulder cautiously and gave him a light, reassuring squeeze when he didn’t shrug him off. “As mischievous as Noct could be, he won’t take kissing you as a prank.”

“Then, what about when he said he _likes_ me?” Prompto stared at the older man. “Is it not a prank?”

Ignis looked dumbstruck. “He... He said he likes you? Uh... It... might be best if you ask Noct about that directly,” he cleared his throat. “But I assure you, Prompto, Noct’s not making fun of you. You’re his best friend, and now you’re doing him a very big favour. He won’t go so far as to make you mad enough to pull out. Though, I won’t blame you if you do.”

Prompto sighed again. “he’s been through a lot. I want to help him...” He bit his lip. “But he needs to know that sometimes there are borders that can’t be crossed, even if we’re... technically dating,” he paused, before adding quickly, “a fake one.”

Ignis nodded. “Noct will understand,” he said. “I’ll talk to him. Go home and rest up for now, Prompto. You can’t concentrate anyway.”

“...I’m really sorry about this, Ignis,” Prompto lowered his head in apology. “I’ll make sure to make it up at our next session.”

The older man seemed satisfied by that. “That you’ll do.”

 

 

That night, Prompto was laying on his bed after a shower, hair still wet, when his phone rang, signalling an incoming call. Prompto lifted it up lazily to find Noctis’s name flashed on the screen. He pursued his lips before picking it up. “Hello.”

[ “ _...Prompto,_ ” ]  Noctis voice on the other side of the line sounded nervous. There was a quiet rustle, and then his voice was heard again. [ “ _Er... Are you busy now?_ ” ]

“Not really. I just get out of shower,” Prompto answered.

[ “ _Oh,_ ” ] Noctis gave a small, awkward sound, and then there was silence for a while. [ “ _You know... Erm... I just..._ ” ]

The blond almost rolled his eyes. His best friend was so pathetic sometimes. “Yes? Do you need something from me, Noct?”

[ “ _Imsorryforkissingyou_ ,” ] Noctis’s words came out rushed, Prompto barely catching them all. [ “ _Er, I mean... I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to do it_.” ]

Prompto sighed. “It’s okay, Noct,” he said. “I forgive you.”

There was a momentary pause before the prince spoke again. [ “ _You forgive me **that** easily?!_ ” ] He groaned. [ “ _Six, if I had known, I would do this sooner. It’s hard when you’re ignoring me, Prom._ ” ]

Prompto let out a small chuckle. “You’re just scared,” he mocked, and Noctis growled in irritation. “I’m not angry at you anymore. Just... Please, no more pranks like that, okay? There’s also the text you sent the night before... And then you suddenly kissing me... It’s unnerving.”

[ “ _I’m... I’m sorry,_ ” ] Noctis offered again, weakly. [ “ _About the kiss. And the text, too. I... was probably a little too sleepy to know what I was typing. Probably something on impulse. Since... we’re dating. And all._ ” ]

“Fake dating, Noct,” Prompto reminded him.

[ “ _...uh, right. Fake dating,_ ” ] Noctis cleared his throat. [ “ _Anyway, as an apology... Want to go somewhere this weekend, Prom? To make it up for you._ ” ]

Prompto blinked in confusion. “Somewhere?”

[ “ _Yeah. Your birthday’s coming soon, right?_ ” ] Noctis said awkwardly. [ “ _I am thinking about taking you to Galdin Quay... And we can spend a night or two there. The sunset is very pretty and I think... you might... want to take a photograph of it._ ” ]

Wow. Galdin Quay for his _birthday_? It was beyond Prompto’s wildest imagination. “That’s awesome!” he smiled. “And I can’t believe you remembered my birthday! Last year you totally forgot about it until two days later!”

[ “ _My bad about that,_ ” ] the prince sounded sheepish. [ “ _That’s why let me treat you this year. We can relax for a while and have some fun before the festival. Ignis and Gladio have to tag along though._ ” ]

“I don’t mind!” Prompto chirped happily. “Then it’s settled! See you tomorrow at school, Noct?”

[ “ _See you tomorrow,_ ” ] Prompto could almost hear the smile on Noctis’s tone. [ “ _Good night, Prom. Sleep well?_ ” ]

“You too! Good night!”

The call ended, and Prompto put his phone away, smiling to himself as he hugged Noctigar. “Galdin, huh...” He murmured, thinking about the photos he could take. Sunrises and sunsets in Galdin, like Noctis said, was beautiful, the beach clean and the water clear. There was the long pier that led towards the floating restaurant that offered a breath-taking scenario of the Angelgard Island. Perhaps he could convince Noctis to pose for his camera and take a few pictures of him as well. It’s going to be fun.

 

 

Weekend came, and Prompto was excited.

His etiquette lesson on Saturday was cancelled. Noctis, Gladio, and Ignis picked him up on Friday evening, and they headed towards Galdin directly, estimated to be arriving during dinner time. Ignis was driving and Prompto insisted that he should claim the passenger’s seat, so Noctis surrendered that seat for him. The blond didn’t stop humming along the journey as he took photographs of things that caught his attention.

“Why are you so excited?” Gladio asked as he closed his book, half annoyed that he couldn’t concentrate reading with Prompto’s hum. “It’s just two nights in Galdin; nothing special.”

“Dude! It’s _Galdin_!” Prompto twisted his body to look back, grinning at Gladio. “And it’s going to be my first time outside of Insomnia. For my _birthday_! Isn’t it worth something to be excited about?!”

“Yes, yes. We know you’re excited, so sit down properly before you give Ignis a heart attack,” Noctis said, so Prompto eased back to his seat, although he did so with a pout. “What would you like for dinner?”

“Hmm...” Prompto looked thoughtful. “Something light, I guess. We’re going to have the fun tomorrow, so I don’t want to indulge too much,” he said sheepishly.

“Then some stew will be good,” Ignis said, his eyes still on the road. “Light, but heart-warming and fulfilling. And yes, it’ll contain vegetables, Noct. You’d best be eating them,” he quickly cut in before Noctis had the chance to open his mouth to protest. Noctis frowned and leaned back on his seat.

“I hate you,” the younger grumbled under his breath.

“You’re not going to impress Prompto this way, Noct.”

“...huh?” At the mention of his name Prompto looked up from his camera, blinking in confusion. “What did you just say, Ignis?”

“Nothing!” Noctis quickly replied. Beside him, Gladio snorted. “Nothing at all, Prom. A-Anyway, how do you feel about doing some water sports in Galdin? Scuba diving, or water-skiing maybe?” He tried to change the subject. Thankfully, Prompto was quickly distracted as his eyes gleamed in interest, Ignis’s earlier sentence forgotten.

They arrived at Galdin on schedule, so Ignis suggested that they checked into their rooms and put their belongings before heading towards the restaurant. Apparently, Ignis had booked two rooms; one for Noctis and Prompto, and the other for Gladio and Ignis. “Privacy reasons,” Gladio had explained, when Prompto asked about it.

He missed Noctis’s face reddening at the answer, though.

Their dinner was fantastic; to Prompto’s opinion, it still wasn’t as good as Ignis’s cooking, but it’s a dish from the famous restaurant of Galdin. Aside from the vegetables, they included various seafood in it, and they were _delicious_.

Gladio suggested to order dessert after dinner, which Prompto wanted to refuse, but hell, their sliced fruit cake looked so pretty and delicious and Ignis pointed out that it was his birthday tomorrow anyway—a slice of cake wouldn’t hurt.

“Wanna share, Noct?” he asked Noctis when the cake was served, and Noctis lifted his head up to stare at the blond, surprised.

“You... want to share the cake?”

“Yeah?” Prompto cocked his head to one side. “Oh, do you guys want some, too?” he turned towards Ignis and Gladio, sitting across the table.

“Oh, no, no,” Gladio grinned mischievously, scooting over his seat and looked like he was prepared to flee. “Please, enjoy them your heart’s content. Ignis and I will just go back to our room...”

“I’m not really into sweets, so both of you can have it...” Ignis agreed. “Then, excuse us, Prompto, Noct. See you later.”

And with that, both of them stood up from their seat and walked out of the restaurant, Prompto’s eyes following them in confusion. “...what’s the big idea?” Prompto asked, turning back to Noctis.

“I don’t know,” the dark-haired teen replied. “Anyway, uh... You want to eat this now? Before the cream melts.”

Prompto nodded and divided the cake slice into two parts with his fork. He scrapped the peach slices for Noctis, since he knew his best friend liked them.

“Can we go water skiing in the morning?” Prompto’s blue eyes lit up in excitement as they started making plans for tomorrow. “I hear you can also rent a boat to go around the waters. We can go together! You’ll fish, and I’ll be taking photos,” he grinned.

“The fishing part is a good idea, but I might have to pass on the water skiing, sorry,” Noctis licked the cream of his lips, and Prompto bit his lips at the sudden _thump_ in his chest. “I don’t like the idea of falling off the ski.”

“Oh, come on! I bet it’ll be fun! We can drag Gladio and Ignis together,” Prompto ate his own piece of cake, saving the strawberries for last. “If there’s still time, we can also go swimming afterwards, and I want to take a walk along the pier together with you in the evening, during the sunset. People always say that it’s pretty romantic!”

Noctis almost choked on his peach slice, and Prompto realised what his sentence could imply. “I-I mean! Photos! For photos!” he quickly corrected. “The girls in school will probably go crazy if they see you on photos, bathed in sunset lights and looked all handsome and majestic. Right?” The blond grinned.

Noctis snorted. “The photos would probably have to be inspected first, but personally I’d like you to keep them to yourself, I guess. But it doesn’t sound so bad, when you put it like that. ‘Handsome’ and ‘majestic’, huh?” he finished his cake, before blinking at Prompto. “Prom, you got cream on your cheek.”

Prompto’s hand flew towards his cheek nervously. “W-Where?” He asked, embarrassed. Noctis chuckled and reached to wipe the cream off with his finger, licking it.

“...there, all clean,” he smiled, and Prompto’s heart skipped a beat. “You’re such a messy eater. Come on, finish your cake and let’s go back to our room. We can bother Gladio and Ignis for a while before heading to bed,” Noctis said, and Prompto nodded hastily, shoving the rest of his cake down before following the prince out of the restaurant.

They went back to their room and proceeded to play King’s Knight for an hour, before they heard Ignis and Gladio coming back to their own room. The two of them decided to crash into their room for a while. Prompto told them their plans for tomorrow and whether they would like to join him and Noctis, but both of the older men refused.

“Sorry, guys, I come here to relax,” Gladio grinned. “With the side of picking up ladies. Went down to the beach earlier and spotted some cute ladies there.”

“Eeh?! Not fair!” Prompto pouted, displeased. “How about you, Ignis?”

“Sadly, I have to decline your offer as well. I’m not too fond of the sea, I’m afraid,” ignis pushed his glasses up. “The restaurant has a few menu selections I’m interested in learning, so I’m going to spend my day tomorrow. I apologise.”

“Aww...” Prompto wilted in disappointment. “So it’s just going to be me and Noct?”

“Well, you two are... er... dating after all. Might as well get some well-deserved date, right?” Gladio teased. Noctis and Prompto blushed. “Plus, there might be a few curious people who have seen the internet about you two. Giving a little show won’t hurt, to make it more convincing, y’know?”

“There’s also a rumour going when you two were arguing about... Noct breaking up with you, so it’s best to show that you two are still ‘together’ to avoid Noct being... pursued again, don’t you think?” Ignis added helpfully.

“Er... yeah,” Noctis nodded. “It’s okay, Prom. Just think of it like any of our hang outs before. Act like usual, we’ll be fine,” he offered Prompto a reassuring smile. “Tomorrow’s your birthday, anyway.”

Prompto, although reluctant, nodded. “I guess you’re right. They’re not going to... bother us too much, right?”

“Maybe to take a few photos, but other than that, we can just ignore them as long as they don’t cross the line,” the dark-haired teen explained. “Like I said, just act like usual and don’t worry. I’ll protect you. Okay?”

“Uh... O-Okay.”

“Alright, now with that matter settled, I suggest that you two go back to your room and have your sleep for the night,” Ignis said. “I’m quite exhausted from driving, so I’d like to retire early.”

“Sorry ‘bout that,” Noctis murmured, side-eyeing Ignis and Gladio. “We’ll go now. See you tomorrow, guys. Good night.”

As soon as they went back to their own room, Prompto pulled Noctis closer, making the dark-haired teen stumble. “Uh, Prom?”

“...Gladio, and Ignis,” Prompto lowered his voice. “Do you think they’re dating?”

Noctis blinked. “...huh?”

“I mean, they booked separate room for us, when we can stay in one room with two queen beds,” Prompto’s lips curled into a grin. “And Gladio gave me ‘ _privacy reasons_ ’ as an answer when I asked him earlier.”

“That’s—they’re not—I mean, that’s not why they—“ Noctis stumbled over his words before he groaned in exasperation, falling face first to the bed. “Oh, for Astrals’ sake.”

“...Noct?”

Prompto saw Noctis’s shoulders lift for an exaggerated huff, before the dark-haired teen rolled on his back and stared at him. “It’s nothing, Prom. They’re not dating, I can assure you that. They’re just very good drinking buddies. And complain buddies, I guess, considering that I am such a pain in the ass for them.”

“Hey! You’re a great best friend!” Prompto laughed, climbing on the bed to settle down beside Noctis. “But... really? Not dating?”

“Not dating,” Noctis confirmed. “They’re just like us. Uh... best friends, at best.” He added, after a pause.

“Fine,” the blond huffed.

They spent the rest of the night resuming King’s Knight, playing co-op, before gradually falling asleep. Prompto smiled when he saw Noctis had dozed off, his soft snores filling the room.

He put away their phones and pulled the covers over his best friend, not wanting him to catch a cold in the morning. Prompto stared at Noctis’s sleeping face, and his eyes softened, hands moving to run his fingers on Noctis’s dark hair.

Noctis was his best friend, and he would do anything to make sure it lasted. Even if that meant hiding his evolving feelings towards Noctis.

 

 

Prompto woke up in the morning feeling a little bit sluggish, slightly confused on why he had woken up not in his room or Noctis’s, before realising that they were in the hotel room in Galdin Quay. He yawned and rubbed his eyes, feeling a weight on his stomach—and when he looked down, there was Noctis’s arm draped on him, curled protectively. Noctis, of course, was still fast asleep, not even budging a bit.

The blond smiled a little. He reached out and fumbled towards the bedside table for his phone, checking the time. It was just a little bit past 05:30—no wonder it’s still dark outside. But he was up anyway; so he slid down from the bed, careful to not jostle Noctis too much and went to the bathroom to wash his face and brush his teeth. He switched his sleeping shorts into training pants and put on his running shoes.

Slipping out of their bedroom as silent as possible (not that any noise could wake Noctis up now), he headed towards the beach. The morning air was cold and his breaths came out in white puffs. Prompto stretched himself for a while before starting his morning jog.

When he finished his fun, the sun was already up; he was sweating and panting and perhaps shivering a bit, but it was a good run. Prompto wiped the sweat off his forehead and went back to his room, not expecting Noctis to be up already.

But he was; Noctis turned his head lazily when he opened the door, only to sit up straight the moment he realised it was Prompto. “You’re back,” he said, sounding a little bit tense.

“Yeah, I was going for a run around the beach. It’s really great!” Prompto smiled, suddenly feeling too self-conscious. He was sweating a lot, and his t-shirt must had been soaked in sweat and he probably smelled gross. “Um... L-Let me take a shower first before we head to the restaurant for breakfast!” he said quickly, before heading towards the bathroom, not giving Noctis any chance to answer.

Prompto shed his clothes and took a quick shower to get rid of the stickiness on his skin and the smell. When he stepped out, he realised that he didn’t bring any change of clothes, so he wound the towel around his waist and went outside.

Noctis was playing with his phone, yawning, as he came out. He made a sound of acknowledgement when he saw Prompto, before going to the bathroom. Prompto pulled a clean shirt and a pair of baggy cargo pants from his luggage, before taking his phone and decided to play a round of King’s Knight as he waited for Noctis.

After the dark-haired teen went out and got dressed, they headed towards the restaurant for breakfast. They hadn’t seen Ignis and Gladio, but figured out that they might not want to be disturbed since they had their own plans.

“So have you decided what you want to do?” Noctis asked.

“Hmm... Guess I’m sticking to the original plan. Water-skiing, and then we go fishing!” he grinned. “We can pack some sandwiches so we won’t starve while waiting forever for a fish to catch your hook.”

“It’s _not_ that long anyway,” Noctis grumbled, but he didn’t protest when Prompto grabbed his hand and dragged him towards the beach shack that offered multiple water-involved entertainment.

“Two tickets for water-skiing, please!” Prompto said cheerfully. The shack owner raised an eyebrow when he saw Prompto and Noctis.

“...aren’t you kids too young for this?” he said gruffly. “You’ll need a guardian’s permission to be able to rent the equipments.”

Prompto looked offended. “I’m eighteen! So is he!” He pointed at Noctis. The shack owner didn’t seem to believe him.

Noctis sighed. He dug out his wallet from his pocket and took out his student ID card, putting it on the counter. “Will that suffice?” he asked, midnight-blue eyes staring at the owner. The man looked at the card sceptically, but his eyes widened as soon as he saw the name printed on that card.

“P-P-Prince—“ he stuttered, flustered.

“Just let us rent the damn ski,” Noctis interrupted him. “And please keep my presence here in secret, thank you very much.”

“Y-Yes! Certainly...!” The shack owner hastily replied, before he went inside to retrieve the equipment. Prompto glanced at Noctis, who was picking his card and stuffed it back to his wallet, looking bored.

“...what?” he asked when he caught Prompto staring.

“No, it’s just...” the blond smiled sheepishly. “I didn’t just cause you trouble... did I?”

“It’s just using my name,” Noctis dishevelled Prompto’s hair, grinning. “It’s nothing troublesome at all. I won’t let him ruin our fun like this.”

“Well... Thanks!” Prompto was back on being his bubbly self again. “I appreciate that, Noct! Thanks!”

Noctis smiled. “No problem.”

Once the owner had been back with the water-skiing equipment, they headed towards the pier, where a few of motorboat were waiting. Prompto gleefully hopped to the boat that the owner had pointed to and started stripping, leaving only his swimming trunks. “Come on, Noct!” he yelled. “Let’s go!”

“You’re too excited,” Noctis grinned, shedding his own clothes and joined Prompto. He paused for a bit before boarding the boat, looking doubtful just for a split second.

“What’s wrong, Noct? Scared?” The blond smirked, and Noctis snorted.

“You wish,” he said, finally stepping into the boat. Aside of them, they were accompanied by two people; one to be the driver, and another assumed to be the one who would help them to water-ski later. “Let’s go, then!”

It turned out that Prompto sucked at water-skiing more than Noctis, despite both being first timers. The prince laughed when Prompto fell over for the third time in ten minutes since they went down to the water. “You suck!” he cackled.

“Shut up, buddy,” Prompto grumbled and shook his head to get rid of the water, frowning deeply and shivered. “This is so hard to do!”

“Just admit it, you’re poor at maintaining your balance,” Noctis grinned as he watched Prompto climbing onto his ski once again.

The blond glared, but he didn’t throw any more comments when the boat started to pull them again.

They spent the rest of the morning water-skiing, and when they finally returned to the pier, Prompto felt his whole body aching. He thought he was quite fit from all the runs he did, but obviously that wasn’t enough, since Noctis was stretching not far in front of him, looking pleased.

“That was fun,” Noctis commented, turning back to Prompto. “You up for a light lunch before we head back to the waters to fish, Prom?”

Prompto groaned. “Are you serious, Noct?!” he huffed. “My body feels like it’s tearing itself apart right now.”

“Hey, it’s just fishing. We just have to sit,” Noctis replied, grinning. “Besides, I’ve gone along with the water-skiing, now it’s _your_ turn.”

“Fine, fine,” the blond grumbled, reluctantly followed Noctis back to the restaurant, where they got lunch and a pack of assorted sandwiches to be brought along. After that, they rented a boat and went to the deep waters before Noctis summoned his fishing gear and started the preparation.

They ended up spending three hours fishing, Prompto even falling asleep for a little while waiting for Noctis’s lure to catch something. The sky was starting to turn red when they went back, the sun hanging low on the horizon.

“Let’s take a walk on the pier!” Prompto smiled, waving his camera. “I want to take a couple of photos! Looks at that _sweet_ sunset!”

“You just want to feel what’s it like to take the ‘romantic’ walk along Galdin Quay’s pier,” Noctis teased. Prompto huffed and turned his back to his best friend, hoping that Noctis didn’t see the blush creeping on his cheeks just now.

“You’re welcome to go back to the hotel if you don’t want to,” he sulked, trotting away.

“Hey, don’t be mad, I’m just kidding,” Noctis ran after him, soon catching up and chuckled. “Go on ahead, I’ll be right behind you.”

Prompto responded with a snort and started taking pictures. He often saw people taking pictures of Galdin’s sunset, but seeing it himself made him think that it was actually prettier than in the photos, glowing orange and red sphere in the distance. The Angelgard Island looked gorgeous on the background, silhouetted by the light. He snapped a few pictures and turned towards Noctis, intending to show them to him, but the Prince was actually distracted by something and wasn’t looking at Prompto, so the blond took his chance to snap a few pictures of him.

Noctis lifted his head in surprise when he heard the shutter click at his direction. “Did you just photograph me?”

Prompto grinned. “You looked so _gorgeous_ there! There’s no way I will pass the opportunity to have your photos!” he said, scrolling through the pictures he just took. Honestly, it made him so jealous that his best friend could even still look _handsome_ , even photographed candidly and after being in the sun for so long. The orange glow from the sunset helped boosting his delicate features, and Prompto had to admit, there was no way anyone wouldn’t fall in love with Noctis.

“...hey, Prom.”

Prompto lifted his head from the camera when he heard Noctis call his name, and he was faced with the face of the Prince—looking as serious as he could be, before blurting out.

“I like you.”

The blond stopped, gripping his camera tight. His heart started to beat faster.

“I... I Like you too!” He answered, and he forced himself not to let his voice too shaky. “Best bros forever, right?”

Noctis looked dumbfounded, but he quickly recovered. “Y... Yeah,” he replied back. “Best bros forever, Prom.” He raised his hand, and Prompto slapped it hard, grinning.

Noctis then excused himself to go back to their room first, claiming that he’s tired, so Prompto let him be and walked on the beach for a little longer to take more pictures, but the longer the tried to focus, the more photos he screwed up as he thought about his earlier interaction with the Prince. When he finally decided to go back to the hotel, it was already dark, but Noctis was nowhere to be seen.

“Ignis! Gladio!” Prompto was relieved when he saw both of Noctis’s retainers were in their own room. “Do you see Noct? Where is he?”

“Oh,” Ignis answered. “He’s currently with Lady Lunafreya in the hotel bar.”

“...Lady Lunafreya? The Oracle?” Prompto blinked.

“She came by earlier and Noct wants to catch up with her, he said. I heard she’s his childhood friend, after all,” Gladio shrugged.

“...oh,” was only Prompto’s response. He tried ignoring the jealousy bubbling inside his chest. “So... Do you two want to grab dinner with me?”

“We already ate, Prompto. Thanks for the invitation, though,” Ignis said.

“I... see,” he said, crestfallen, and retreated back to his room after bidding Ignis and Gladio good night. He threw himself on the bed, sulking quietly. He didn’t feel really hungry now, and having dinner alone was sad so he opted not to.

Noctis and Lady Lunafreya... The prince mentioned her a few times, saying that she helped him when they were little and had exchanged letters since. At the time Prompto met with Regis, the King had told their history as well. And Lunafreya was beautiful... Prompto wondered if Noctis had a crush on her. Well, who _didn’t_? She was stunning, and was the Princess of Tenebrae, aside of being the Oracle. She would be the perfect match for Noctis.

Prompto bit his lower lip and tried sleeping to get rid of the jealousy again. There was no reason for him to be jealous. Noctis might be his boyfriend for now, but it’s _fake_ , and soon, everything would end. Just like everything, for Prompto.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i swear this will be the last time prompto didn't get the clue. he'll get it next chapter. i swear!
> 
> also, i know prom's birthday is in october and it's already too cold to play in the sea, but i actually forgot about that because i live in a tropical country. so... yeah. orz


	6. 05 - finally, thank six.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Noctis takes him to elope.
> 
> And then Prompto gets _kabedon_ -ed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  _kabe-don_ (壁ドン) is a term where someone (usually male) had another (usually female) pinned against the wall, usually with hands put on the said wall to prevent escape of the female.
> 
> it’s the end people!! this is where the original fill ends. i plan to get an epilogue after this, so please look forward for it!
> 
> but i'd like to say big THANK YOU to the people who have dropped in kudos, comments, and subscribed to this and bear with me until the end!! /o/ i love you guys. you're the best!!

Prompto must have fallen asleep somehow, because when he opened his eyes, someone was knocking on their door and the sun had shone, the rays peeking in from behind the curtains. He gingerly rose up and rubbed his eyes as Ignis’s voice rang from the other side of the door.

“Prompto, are you awake? Please wake Noct up and we’ll have breakfast before departing back to Insomnia.”

Prompto’s eyes widened, suddenly remembering about last night. He looked to his side and saw Noctis, sleeping like he was dead. He didn’t even realise Noctis had gone back to their room—was it Ignis and Gladio who brought him back?

“Y-Yeah!” he shouted, after a few moments of silence. “Be there in a minute!”

He then turned to Noctis and shook the dark-haired teen’s shoulder gently. “Noct. Hey, _Noct_. Wake up.”

Noctis didn’t even flinch at that, so the blond shook him harder. “Noct!”

“Mmmrgh...” Noctis mumbled in his sleep. “Go ‘way... Igs...”

Prompto huffed. “ _Noct_!” he hissed, squeezing Noctis’s cheek, and the Prince finally woke up with a jolt. He stared in confusion for a few seconds, blinking.

“...huh?”

“Noct,” Prompto repeated, catching Noctis’s attention. “Ignis wants us up. We should take a shower a get ready before they come and yell at us again.” He got off the bed and headed towards the bathroom. “I’ll take the shower first.”

Noctis just gave him a sleepy acknowledgement nod. The blond quickly showered, and then kicked Noctis out of the bed again when he went back to the room and found out that his friend went back to sleep.

They just finished packing up when Ignis knocked again, and after making sure nothing was left behind, they left for breakfast and check-out. Noctis looked even more tired than usual—he kept yawning even when they ate, so Prompto wondered what happened to him when he was out with Lunafreya last night. When did he come back, anyway?

“Headache, Noct?” Gladio snickered from across him.

“...shut up, Gladio. Don’t remind me,” Noctis grumbled, irritated, as he slathered the butter on his toast and took a big bite.

“I’ll get you a painkiller as soon as we get back to the Crown City, Noct,” Ignis said, sipping his morning share of Ebony. “Next time, please do be careful.”

Noctis didn’t answer, but he let out a soft snort as approval. Prompto stared at the three of them in confusion.

“Guys? What happened to Noct last night?”

“It’s nothing,” Noctis waved him off. “Just... uh... picked up the wrong glass last night.”

“The _wrong_ glass?” Prompto’s eyebrows shot up in bemusement.

Ignis and Gladio glanced at Noctis, and the Prince gave them both an icy, warning glare. “Um... It’s really nothing you have to concern yourself with, Prompto. Really,” Ignis finally said. Meanwhile, Gladio only shrugged when Prompto looked at him, unwilling to talk. Prompto pouted.

Nothing indeed. _Very_ convincing.

They departed from Galdin Quay right after breakfast and made a short stop at Longwythe to refuel and get lunch, before resuming the journey back to Insomnia. Prompto didn’t get to find out what happened to Noctis last night when he was with Lunafreya, even until Ignis dropped him off at his house. He watched the car drove away with slight disappointment.

Why didn’t Noctis tell him anything, _something_ , even?

He sighed in defeat and took out his keys, unlocking the front door and entered, into the cold, empty house.

 

 

For the next two weeks everyone got busy.

As planned, Prompto got dragged with Noctis into the scheduled interviews. Ignis, thankfully, had taught him how to keep a straight face, how to evade a question too private politely, and how to answer things without revealing too much information to the press. Prompto was exhausted; the interviewers sometimes got a little too aggressive, and when they were shooting for live interview there were cameras and lights and audiences _everywhere_. Sometimes it got a little bit too bright for Prompto to handle, but then Noctis would sweep in and charm the people, saving Prompto in the process.

It didn’t end there, though. Ignis had one day specifically emptied for both of them for measurement, to make their custom suits for the Festival. No matter how hard Prompto tried to reject the idea, Ignis insisted. “You’re going with Noct,” he said. “Your suits need to match, at least.”

“Fine, but I’m picking the ties,” Prompto bargained, to which Ignis agreed.

In between running around for royal preparations, their school was also buzzing with excitement. The school courtyard was going to be used as one of the dancing spots aside of the city square, so the students were also involved in the preparations of the Festival, Noctis and Prompto included. They made paper lanterns and decorations to be hung up, and the home economics students even contributed to the food they were going to serve.

Time passed in a blink of an eye, and suddenly, it was already the day of the Festival of Light. It was scheduled to start at evening, so school activities and office works were ended in noon to give the people time to prepare. Ignis picked Noctis and Prompto up from school straight to the Citadel, where they would get ready.

“...do I _really_ have to accompany Noct to the stage when he delivers his speech?” Prompto whined, as Ignis straightened his suit and tugged his tie. “Don’t do that, Igs! The tie’s _strangling_ me!”

“You need to look as perfect as possible,” Ignis said, eyes still trained on Prompto’s tie to spot any leftover creases. “And yes, you have to. You just have to stand beside him; after the speech Noct will take your arm and then you two will lit the first lantern together.

Prompto almost rolled his eyes. That was such a _cheesy_ scenario, truly. “I swear,” he muttered under his breath, “only because Noct’s my best friend I’m doing this for him.”

“Best friend, or best _friend_?” Ignis quipped.

The blond blinked, not expecting the older man to have heard his grumble. “What?”

“Nothing,” Ignis quickly replied, patting his shoulders and looking satisfied at his work. “There, you’re done. Noct is in his room getting ready, if you’d like to meet him now.”

Prompto nodded. “Thanks, Ignis.” He went out of the room to the hallway, where people were busy running here and there and screaming at forgotten supplies or how the sound system weren’t working properly. He walked past them to the royal chambers wing to meet with Noctis—and that was where he met with Lunafreya.

He froze, unsure what to do. Prompto knew that there were several important guests invited to Insomnia for the Festival, and of course Ravus and Lunafreya, as the representation of the Kingdom of Tenebrae, would be present as well. His mind went to weeks ago, when they were still in Galdin.

 _Lunafreya, with Noctis_.

“Ah... Hello there,” she noticed him first and greeted him, smiling. She was even more beautiful up close, her green eyes shining with kindness and her expression gentle. She was wearing a light blue, ankle-length dress, with a cardigan with matching colour covering her bare shoulders, her hair already put up and styled neatly. “Prompto, isn’t it?”

“L-Lady,” Prompto stammered, flustered. “I-I mean, Princess. Uh—“ He wasn’t even sure what to call her.

“It’s alright,” she chuckled, taking Prompto’s sweating hands into hers. “You can call me Luna! No need to be so nervous. You’re Noctis’s boyfriend, after all—and every friend of Noctis is mine as well!”

Prompto blinked. Didn’t she _know_? Prompto thought Lunafreya knew about the truth of his and Noctis’s relationship, but perhaps the Prince decided not to tell her after all. “Um, r-right. Luna,” he finally squeaked out. “It’s... It’s nice to meet you.”

Her laugh was so pleasant to hear. “Nice to meet you too!” she shook his hands gently. “How are you faring, being Noctis’s boyfriend?”

“It’s...” Prompto lowered his head, embarrassed. “It’s not bad. It can be a little exhausting, I guess.”

“I see,” Luna gave him another warm smile. “It’s to be expected, I guess. Noctis is the Crown Prince after all; anybody at his side will gain the same spotlight as he is. At least tell me if he treats you right.”

“Treats me... right?”

Lunafreya nodded. “Like... Bringing you to dates, giving you flowers, maybe...?” she giggled. “How is Noctis as a boyfriend? Is he a good one? Please tell me at least he brings you to dates.”

Prompto blushed, suddenly remembering the chocobo plushie Noctis gave him at the beginning of their ‘relationship’, and their occasional ‘dates’ (or hang outs) in the arcade or the café. “Y-Yeah, he’s... good,” he nodded. “Noct isn’t a flower man... B-But he gave me a chocobo plushie when first started... er... dating. And he treats me sometimes... On my birthday he and Gladio and Ignis brought me to Galdin Quay.”

“I see!” Lunafreya clapped both of her hands together in delight. “Yes, yes, I know about Galdin! I met with Noctis there, actually. He told me much about you!”

Prompto started sweating. “What... does he talk about?”

“Many things, actually...” she hummed. The smile she gave him was suspicious. “But I can tell that he’s really into you, Prompto.”

“...really?” Prompto said in disbelief.

Lunafreya nodded enthusiastically. “You see, he’s—“

“Prompto!”

Before Lunafreya had the chance to finish her sentence, they heard a familiar voice behind. Prompto and Lunafreya both turned to see Noctis coming from the direction of the royal chambers wing, already in his suits, jogging towards them. “There you are!” he sounded a little breathless, like he had been running. “So you’ve been here—“ he stopped, looking at Lunafreya. “Oh, Luna, you’re here as well.”

“Your Highness,” Lunafreya suddenly turned into her Oracle-Princess mode, more solemn and calmer than she had been when she was talking with Prompto earlier. She gave a small bow towards Noctis.

“Cut it out, Luna, you know there’s nobody but us here. No need to go so formal,” he dismissed her, smiling slightly. And drat, there’s this little pang in Prompto’s chest again. “You look amazing tonight.”

Lunafreya’s expression lit up and she blushed. “Thank you,” she said. “You look amazing yourself, Noctis! I hope you have fun during the Festival with Prompto!” she gave him a little wink.

Noctis blushed. “Uh... Thanks,” he replied, awkwardly.

“Now excuse me, then, I have to go along to find big brother,” Lunafreya said. “Goodbye, Prompto! It’s nice meeting you! I hope we can catch up later!”

Prompto watched as she turned and walked away, but then a gasp from Noctis brought his attention back to his friend. “Shit, Gladio’s going to be pissed. Come on, Prom! We’re late,” he grabbed Prompto’s hand and pulled him towards the Citadel entrance, heading to the city square. “We need to get to the stage right now!”

He had no choice but to follow, stumbling behind Noctis as his best friend hurriedly pushed through, almost bumping to several people still finishing up preparations. As he stared at Noctis’s hand holding his own, Prompto wondered whether how long he could have this warmth for himself.

 

 

The Festival turned into three days with mixture of joy and pain at the same time.

Almost all day Prompto had to accompany Noctis to wherever he went, flashing smiles until his jaw hurt and his teeth dry. He was just relieved that he’s allowed to wear more casual attire; if Ignis made him wore the suits all day, he’d rather die.

Not to mention the reporters; they were absolutely merciless. They tailed Noctis and Prompto almost _everywhere_ , even when they’re taking a break in the Citadel or stopping to buy a drink and sit. Prompto might be patient enough, but they were starting to get on his wits’ end, especially because they wouldn’t stop snapping pictures of him and Noctis doing something, _anything_.

Noctis seemed to sense his irritation as well, as he tried his best to shield Prompto from the cameras whenever he could. But it was a public event; nobody can forbid them to take pictures, not even Ignis. Noctis made sure that Prompto was always having fun, as well.

And finally the third day of the Festival came. That meant it was time to close the Festival of Light with the Last Dance. Noctis had to lead the dance in the main square, but after Prompto expressed his reluctance to dance in front of so many people, Ignis allowed them to move towards their school to dance after the first sequence were cleared.

They were once again wearing matching suits, the cufflinks given by Iris adorning their wrist. The night would begin with a short speech from King Regis, Noctis on his side, and then the Prince would pick his dancing partner to begin the Last Dance with—which, of course, would be Prompto. After crowds had taken the floor, they could slip out and let the civilians dance.

That was the plan, anyway.

Prompto watched nervously as the King and Noctis stepped forward, heart pounding in his chest. Looking at Noctis Prompto couldn’t help but feel a little jealous. His boyfriend— _pretend_ -boyfriend, Prompto had to remind himself again—was so unfairly gorgeous, under the soft lantern lights, the cape he wore over his suits billowing behind him as he stood just beside his father, back straight and unwavering. Even as the King delivered his speech, Prompto didn’t hear a single word out of it; his attention was focused entirely on Noctis, and he almost swore that Noctis was also _glancing_ at him.

“...and now, let us begin our Last Dance,” Regis announced. “Noctis, if you will?”

Noctis nodded and walked off the stage, slowly, straight to where Prompto was standing. He never broke eye contact with the blond, and with each step, Prompto felt his palms sweating and his heart beat faster. Time seemed to slow down, and when Noctis stood right in front of him, it felt like everything stopped.

“Prompto,” Noctis extended his right hand, body slightly bowing but eyes never breaking contact with Prompto’s, as his lips curled into a small, fond smile. “Will you do me the honour of sharing this dance with me?”

Normally, Prompto would just laugh it off, because _hell_ , it was so cheesy and Noctis would sound ridiculous trying to be all princely. But with all eyes trained to them, King Regis included, and his boyf— _pretend_ -boyfriend—looking very handsome in his regal clothes, Prompto could only suck in a deep, shuddering breath. Too awed to even form a proper response.

He had practiced this scenario with Ignis, countless times. All Prompto had to say was, ‘ _It’ll be my honour, Prince Noctis,’_ and took Noctis’s extended hand and let him lead them towards the centre of the square. The slow music would start and they danced. That’s all. But now when it wasn’t Ignis who was standing in front of him, but Noctis himself—

—Prompto found himself low-key panicking inside.

“It... It’ll be my h-honour, Prince Noct- _chis_ ,” Prompto froze and stared blankly in horror. Oh Six, he did _not_ just bite his own tongue at the most crucial part of the sentence—Noctis’s name. He heard several people snorting, some suppressed giggling, and fuck, he would just turn back and let the ground swallow him whole if not because of Noctis grabbing his hand and _kissed_ the back of his hand, like the gentleman he was, before pulling him gently from the crowd and towards the centre of the square like nothing happened.

Once they had been in position, the orchestra started playing, and Noctis lead him to the dance. Prompto, despite having his brain short-circuit for a while there when Noctis kissed his hand, tried his best to catch up, careful not to step on Noctis’s brand-new, polished shoes, and slowly, people started pouring in, dancing with their partners.

“Hey, Prom. You wanna go now?” Noctis asked as he led Prompto out of the dancing crowd to take a breather. “We can continue at school—Iris might be there too.”

“We should tell Ignis and Gladio we’re going now...” Prompto said as he followed Noctis, who had walked away from the city square back to the Citadel. “And the reporters are still looming around. I don’t want to get chased again, if we go without at least a guard.”

“I can take care of myself and you for a night,” he shrugged, once again taking Prompto’s hand to his own so the blond wouldn’t get separated with him, and started walking.

“...are we going to walk all the way towards school?”

“Don’t be ridiculous, of course not,” Noctis grinned and showed his other hand, waving a keyring on his finger. “We’re going to take the Regalia.”

“Oh, Noct,” Prompto’s blue eyes widened slightly, but there’s a giddy smile forming on his lips. “You did _not_ just steal the King’s car.”

“Hey! It’s mine too, technically. I just got my license, so sometimes Father allows me to practice using his car,” Noctis tugged on his hand as if to convince him. “We’ll park a little bit away from the school if you’re worried about the attention. And I’m a safe driver, I promise.”

Somehow Prompto didn’t believe in that, but he complied. Noctis didn’t exactly give him a choice here; he certainly didn’t want to be left alone, not with reporters prowling around waiting for them, and after almost three days getting all the attention, Prompto just wanted to relax. Being together with Noctis gave him slightly more reassurance.

The car was parked in the basement garage, and five minutes later, Noctis had brought him gliding through the city in the Regalia with the hood open. Noctis deliberately took him first around the bridge that led to Insomnia; Prompto could see the glimmers of the Festival of Light on the cityscape, and he let out a sigh of awe at the sight.

“Amazing, isn’t it?” Noctis spoke beside him, his tone proud. “We should have gone for more rides, Prom.”

“Wish I brought my camera here,” Prompto said dreamily. “And it’s not like you can steal Regalia too often,” he laughed.

After their detour, Noctis continued driving until they reached the school. He parked the car on a separate parking lot, five minutes’ walk away from the gate. The students had been gathering in the courtyard, some dancing, others eating and chatting together. Prompto could spot Iris dancing with a boy around her age amidst the crowd, and she looked like she was enjoying herself, so he decided not to call out to her.

Noctis never left his side. “Do you want to grab a bite or two?” He poked on Prompto’s arm and asked. Ignis served them a light dinner before they went to the Last Dance, but Prompto was too nervous to eat he ended up only having a piece of biscuit and a cup of tea, and now his stomach was growling loudly.

“I guess I’ll do that,” he said, lowering his head in embarrassment as Noctis chuckled. The Prince had already pulled him to the banquet table, though, and Prompto’s mouth watered at the various dished laid there. The Home Ec students really did a great job.

“Try the skewers, they’re really good,” Noctis said, already stuffing some food into his mouth. Some of the students had noticed Prompto and Noctis as well and greeted them, attempting to chat more, but he was just not in the mood. Not when his mind kept thinking about Noctis; and that after this night was over, he would no longer be Noctis’s boyfriend. There was no need to keep the charade.

And deep down, inside, maybe Prompto didn’t want it to end yet.

His thoughts were interrupted when he heard a commotion from the school gate. Some of the students had stopped doing what they were doing to look, so Prompto followed suit, putting down his plate and tried to see what’s going on, but Noctis pulled his arm away from the gate.

“Noct, what the fuck?!” he hissed, but then he understood why when he saw what—or who—were there.

Reporters. And quite a number of them, it seemed.

“There they are; the Prince and his boyfriend!”

“Shit,” Noctis cursed under his breath. “They found us. Run, Prompto!”

“What—whoah?!!” Prompto yelped in surprise when Noctis grabbed his hand and dragged him towards the school building. “Noct, where are we going?!”

“Somewhere they’re not going to find us!” Noctis yelled back as he kept running, into the building and passed the shoe locker hall, turning right towards the flight of stairs that led towards the sophomore’s classrooms. Prompto could already imagine the scolding they would get for dirtying the school with their outdoor shoes.

Behind them, Prompto heard the footsteps growing closer and closer. “They’re _following_ us to the school grounds?!” he asked in horror. “Is that even allowed?!”

“During the Festival anyone can go to anywhere in public places, Prom. We just have to lose them— _shit_!” Noctis skidded into a stop when he realised that there were also people at the other end, causing Prompto to crash to his back. “Shit, shit, shit—fuck this,” he growled, and then turned towards the central stairs and headed upstairs.

“Are we going to hide in one of the classrooms?” the blond whispered.

“No,” Noctis answered. He pulled Prompto again round the stairs towards the topmost floor—the rooftop. “The roof is a far safer place to hide.”

Noctis whipped out a key and unlocked the door. When they finally reached outside, Prompto collapsed in exhaustion while Noctis locked the door behind them. How the hell did Noctis able to get the key to the rooftop anyway? Prompto didn’t feel like he particularly cared right now.

“Fuck, that’s somewhat terrifying,” he moaned, standing up and dusted his suits. The air was colder up here, since it was nearing the beginning of winter. He could see his breaths came up in white puffs.

“Comes as a risk for being the prince, I guess,” Noctis was now catching his breath as well. “We should wait here until everything has died down, though. Or maybe we can tell Ignis what happened—damn,” he cursed when he patted on his pocked. “I forgot that I left my phone in the Citadel before going to the Last Dance. How about you, Prompto?”

Prompto shook his head. “I left mine in the Citadel too...”

“Guess we just have to wait for it to die down,” Noctis grumbled, running a hand on his once perfectly-styled hair, now all mussed up from the sweats and wind from running. They fell silent for a while, still trying to calm down as they stared downstairs towards the courtyard through the chain link fence.

“Come to think of it,” Prompto grinned, breaking the silence. “This is so thrilling, you know. All this... running and hiding from the reporters,” he walked away from the chain link fence. “It’s like I’m eloping with you!”

Noctis didn’t answer, but he quickly caught himself. “Ah—I... I don’t mean anything weird from it, I swear!” Prompto sputtered. “We’re... We’re going to end this fake relationship soon anyway, so it’s not like it’s possible, right? Noct—“

He turned back to face to Noctis, but all of sudden he felt himself being pushed. Prompto stumbled back, but he wasn’t falling; instead, his back hit the wall behind him and Noctis was looming in front of him, both hands slammed on the wall, each one on either side of his head. His body was pressed so _close_ against him Prompto could feel his heart beating fast.

“Prom,” Noctis growled, low and _sexy_ , and Prompto felt his heart leapt.

So this was what it felt to be _kabedon_ -ed.

And Noctis was the one who did it to him.

“Y-Yes...?” he managed to squeak out. Noctis’s expression was absolutely screaming murder right now. He looked... _pissed_. “N-Noct...?”

“Prompto,” Noctis growled out his name again. “Are you an idiot or what?”

Before he could answer back, Noctis had had his lips against Prompto’s, kissing him hard. The blond gasped and tried to struggle, but Noctis had both of his hands pinned to the wall— _since when did he do that?!_ —and with their bodies pressed so tightly against each other Prompto’s options were limited. He couldn’t fight nor flee.

...and it’s not like he wanted Noctis to stop. Heck, _please don’t stop_ , he silently wished.

When Noctis ground his crotch against him, Prompto let out a soft moan, and the Prince slipped his tongue inside. Prompto felt his brain melting as he tilted his head back to allow Noctis to deepen the kiss, and he let out a small, disappointed whine when Noctis broke their lips together.

“What—“ Prompto gasped for breath, wiping his lips with the back of his hand. “—what was _that_ for?”

“For being an idiot,” Noctis grumbled. He had let go of Prompto’s wrists and now had cradled his head in both hands, foreheads touching. “Tell me, Prompto; did you really want it? For our relationship to end?”

Prompto could feel all the emotions he had somewhat buried inside surfacing again. “How—“ he choked back a sob. “It’s—it’s what we’ve agreed on, Noct. I can’t—“ he inhaled sharply, trying to stop himself from crying. _Don’t cry, you idiot_ , but of course his body betrayed himself. “—I don’t want to ruin our friendship. I’m not supposed to—to fall in love with you—“

“And that’s where you’re wrong,” the prince hissed. “I—do you ever stop and _think_ why would I agree to this... fake-dating in the first place? It’s a hell lot of work, and the whole premise is pointless if we just dated for two months and then ended it.”

“It’s because... you’d like to get rid of the annoying people that kept pushing their children to you?” Prompto asked back, confused. That _was_ what it’s supposed to be the reason, right?

“Well—“ Noctis looked embarrassed. He stepped back, scratching his head. “Yeah, uh, that’s part of the reason, but...” he averted his gaze and blushed. “...m-maybe the other part is because I am secretly in love with you as well?”

Prompto gaped. He opened his mouth a few times, then closed it again. In the end, he settled with just a shocked stare, speechless.

“Say something,” Noctis rubbed his reddening nose awkwardly. “Oh gosh, I can’t believe it. I’m confessing to you, right now. Fuck, Luna’s going to laugh at me.”

“What am I supposed to say?!” Prompto shrieked, heart racing and thoughts swirling inside his head. It’s so much information to process at the same time, he felt dizzy. “You’re—you’re in love with me.”

“I am!” Noctis groaned. “Fuck, that sounds really embarrassing when you said it out loud...”

“But—but, what about the Princess? I mean, Luna?” Prompto frowned. “In Galdin, you...”

“I met with her, yes,” the prince pulled back slightly. “It’s... I was talking about you with her. She kept encouraging me to confess, but you—you don’t seem to be interested in me,” he scratched his neck. “You—you got mad at me when I kissed you in the ramen stall. And... a-and you rejected me when I confessed. In Galdin.”

“I was mad at you for that because—it’s—I thought you’re screwing with me!” Prompto protested. “And Galdin! When on Eos did you confess to me?! I didn’t recall any of it!”

“I’m not screwing with you—I never was,” Noctis sighed. “And the confession—I-I even say I like you! On the pier! When we’re walking together and you’re snapping photos of the sunset and it’s just—Astrals,” his face was entirely red now. “...you don’t like me that way, do you? I’m sorry if I’m just... pushing all of this to you.”

Prompto froze. Yes, he definitely remembered that evening in Galdin, when Noctis had just blurted out ‘ _I like you_ ’ out of the blue. And out of panic and his own misunderstanding, he had responded with a really stupid answer, too. Six, now he felt like digging a hole, sticking his head in and never surfacing again.

But Noctis kept rambling. “I shouldn’t have agreed to this... whole fake-dating to you, even if the purpose is to drive unwanted invitations away. And—and I understand if you don’t want me. As a, uh, boyfriend. I mean, I’m the Prince, and seeing all these attentions we got must have creeped you out, huh?” he let out a soft, forced chuckled. “Also that I admit, I might not be the, uh, greatest. There’s still so many people out there who’re better than me, and you can probably pick anyone whom you like and likes you back. Someone who can love you wholeheartedly and not me—“

“Uh... Noct?”

“—and yes, Ignis always complains that I never eat my vegetables and probably you would like someone who’s not picky for their food, but I swear vegetables are the nastiest thing I’ve ever tasted and even though I like you so much I still don’t want to eat them, _yucks_ —“

“...Noct—“

“—and you probably hate me too because I always kick your ass in fighting games but I swear, I’m not cheating, I just keep practicing in secret when you’re not staying the night in my apartment so I can defeat you and see your cute pout when you’re mad at me—“

“ _FOR SIX’S SAKE, NOCTIS LUCIS CAELUM_ ,” Prompto interrupted him, before Noctis found weirder things to ramble on. “Stop right there and listen to me for a second, okay?!” he squished Noctis’s cheeks with his hands and pulled their face so close together, Prompto could feel Noctis’s breath on his own face.

He took a deep breath and swallowed down. “I like you too, idiot,” he murmured, the corners of his lips tugging up to form a soft, bashful smile. “I... I like you too in that way. Not-friend way,” he blushed, ducking his head down. “Been for a while, too...”

Noctis’s dark blue eyes grew comically wide. This time it was him who gaped like a caught fish and let out several incorrigible, broken noises before he settled with a look of disbelief.

“You—“ the dark-haired teen inhaled sharply. “You _like_ me? Like, _like_ me?”

Prompto laughed. “Did I not say it clear enough?” he grinned, and placed a quick kiss on Noctis’s lips, earning an embarrassed sputter from the prince. “I really, _really_ like you too, Noct.”

“For real?”

“Yeah, for real.”

Noctis’s expression instantly turned into delight like a lit tree. “Oh Six,” he gasped, breaking in to huge grin. “You like me too! Fuck. I’m—you don’t know how happy I am right now—“

“I know,” Prompto lifted his head, and when Noctis leaned forward, Prompto was ready this time, tilting his head to meet Noctis’s lips midway, and they were kissing again, this time slow and soft, as Noctis held him close, not wanting to let go.

When they finally break away, there was a thin line of saliva connecting their lips together before breaking, and he was grinning so wide his jaw hurt, but he didn’t care.

“Astrals,” Noctis had drawn back, and Prompto could see his cheeks reddening and his lips red and swollen, but he was smiling wide and practically _radiating_ with happiness. Prompto was probably in the same state as well. “I can’t believe it. I’ve waited too long to confess.”

“You certainly are,” Prompto laughed. “And it seems that I have created terrible misunderstanding from my side as well...”

Noctis had grabbed both of Prompto’s hands and squeezed them, butting his forehead lightly with Prompto’s and stared at him with a fond smile. “Prompto Argentum, you’re an idiot.”

“Prince Noctis Lucis Caelum, you’re an idiot too.”

“I have to admit, we’re both the idiots here.”

“I agree,” Prompto squeezed Noctis’s hands back.

They stayed on their position for a while until they heard the sound of fireworks exploding, and Prompto just remembered that the students were planning to lit some fireworks. This was such a great way to end the night. He glanced at Noctis, who had pulled him to lean towards him, watching the fireworks shoot to the sky and explode with a flurry of colourful sparks.

They stayed like that for a while, before Noctis spoke again. “...Prom,” he cleared his throat. “I just remembered something.”

“Yes...?”

“...how are we going to break the news to my Father... and Ignis and Gladio that we’re now _real_ boyfriends?”


	7. 06 - afterwords

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Regis gives our boys quite a scare.
> 
> And he is officially planning for a royal wedding, too.
> 
> ( _“Father, no! Prompto and I are only EIGHTEEN!!”_ )

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> with this, the fic officially ends :D (or not...?)
> 
> also i'm sorry this is taking so long OTL working on multiple fills now, hopefully there's something i can complete soon so i can start posting again :D
> 
> as always comments always appreciated (=^▽^=)

It’s rare for his father to ask for a dinner together on the weekdays, to be honest.

Noctis stared at Regis across the table, and then glanced towards Prompto, who was sitting to his right, too nervous to eat the hamburger steak served earlier. Instead, he pushed his vegetables around with his fork and nibbled the mushroom pieces that came with the sauce. He understood Prompto’s anxiousness, though—they were just chilling in his apartment just after school, kissing and cuddling and was ready to just spend the night in each other’s arms when Regis suddenly texted Noctis with, ‘ _Let’s have dinner together tonight. I sent someone to pick you up. Bring Prompto with you too, alright? I know he’s in your apartment, Gladiolus told me earlier._ ’

Prompto had freaked out, saying that he wasn’t ready to meet with Regis again, especially after the Festival. For the time being, they hadn’t told anyone that they had been officially _dating_ , but Ignis did probe about their status for a while back, wondering if they had spoken about their... ‘break-up’ post-Festival. Noctis had said that they still want to keep the status for the time being to avoid suspicions, and that seemed to convince the older man...

But his father was a different person altogether. He _knew_ Noctis, in and out, even if he didn’t seem so. Noctis wouldn’t be able to fool his father that easily.

“Prompto,” Regis spoke up, and Noctis saw Prompto visibly twitched, almost dropping his fork. “Did you have fun during the Festival?”

“Oh!” Prompto hastily nodded. “Yes, Sir! I-I did.”

“I see,” the King nodded solemnly. “I hear that at the last day, Noctis brought you to drive in Regalia. How was it?”

“Eh? Um...” the blond looked taken aback by the question. “It’s... It’s nice, I suppose? Noct brought me through the Insomnia bridge to see the Festival from there. It’s very pretty,” he smiled and relaxed more. “And then we drove to the school. I... hope you’re not angry, Sir...?”

“Oh, no, no, don’t worry about it, my boy,” Regis laughed. “I’m just concerned for your safety, considering that Noctis crashed the car twice when he took the driving course...”

Noctis glared at his father. Regis _definitely_ told that on purpose. “I succeeded on the third attempt,” he muttered, pretending to focus on cutting the hamburger steak like it’s the most important thing in the world right now. It was bad enough that Regis told Prompto his embarrassing childhood stories when the blond was still his pretend-boyfriend, but now that Prompto was his boyfriend for real, it was like the effect multiplied significantly.

“Oh!” Prompto relaxed, and then chuckled. Noctis almost breathed a sigh of relief at that; at least his boyfriend’s alright. Guess he could swallow an embarrassment or two to entertain Prompto. “Then it’s a relief that we made it to school in one piece, right? Noct?”

“I’m a _safe_ driver. I got my license, after all,” Noctis pouted.

He felt Prompto’s foot nudging at his from under the table. The blond was grinning brightly at him, cheeks pinking, and Noctis knew that it was Prompto’s way to tell him that he’s joking. Slowly, Noctis broke his frown into a small smile, and nudged back at Prompto with his foot.

Regis cleared his throat and Prompto retreated his foot back, looking nervous again. Oh no, _Father, why do you have to scare Prompto like that?_ Noctis silently lamented. “So... I take it that you two have spoken about your... ‘arrangement’?”

“...arrangement?” Prompto asked back, quite innocently enough.

“I mean your... relationship with Noctis, Prompto. The Festival has ended, so I assume that you two have talked about the break-up? I hope my idiot son doesn’t trouble you again...”

Noctis gulped. “We... haven’t talked about that, Father,” he quickly answered. “I mean, er... We did, actually, and decided that we should keep it as it is for the time being, to... avoid... too much questions... Yeah.”

Regis sighed dramatically. “Noctis... You think you can fool me with that kind of excuse?” He said, and Prompto flinched on his seat. “I was hoping that you two would trust me more, but... it seems that I was wrong.”

“What—“

“I saw the photo on _Insomnia Daily_ , Noctis,” Regis put down his utensils and looked at him straight on the eyes. Even Noctis could feel himself starting to sweat bullets. “The photo of you and Prompto together, sitting on a café, throwing goggly eyes at each other... Why don’t you tell me that you have _finally_ become boyfriends with Prompto?”

There was a hanging silence in the air for a while as both boys tried to process what Regis had told them. The blond was the first to react. “S-S-Sir!” Prompto flushed. “You know...?”

“Oh, I’m hurt that you’re underestimating me,” the King gave Prompto a smile. “You can fool the medias, but not me, or even Ignis and Gladiolus. It’s clear from the photo that you two have undergo some sort of... relationship change, and I can tell that it’s a _good_ change. However,” his tone became serious again. “I’m just questioning why do I know this fact from the papers and not from you, Noctis?”

Noctis wanted to die. “I don’t need to talk about my love life to you all the time, Father,” he grumbled half-heartedly.

“Considering that you cannot stop talking about your crush of this lovely boy here since a year ago, it’s kind of late to say that you ‘don’t need to talk’ about it, right?” Regis hummed. Noctis groaned and buried his face on his palm, while Prompto flushed bright red at it.

“Noct! How many people did you _talk_ to about me?!” Prompto protested.

“It’s just with Luna and my father, I swear!”

“...and with Ignis, and Gladiolus, and Cor...” Regis continued, and Noctis groaned harder. “Even though you didn’t tell them explicitly that you like Prompto, from you constantly speaking about Prompto, I guess everybody knows by now.”

“Fuck me,” Noctis muttered.

“Language, son,” Regis laughed. “But I guess it’s a good thing that you finally become boyfriends now! We have to throw you a celebration, right?”

“Absolutely not necessary,” Noctis immediately rejected the idea.

“Ooh,” the King’s expression brightened up. “Then, how about a wedding ceremony for you and Prompto? I mean, he’s going to be my son-in-law after all, isn’t he?”

Prompto turned even a brighter red and spluttered while Noctis stared at Regis with absolute horror plastered on his face. “Father, _no_! Prompto and I are only _eighteen_!”

“Then, we can start planning until you and Prompto turn twenty!”

“NO!!”

**Author's Note:**

> come talk to me at [twitter](https://twitter.com/cup_of_comfort)!  
>    
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End file.
